Since we’re such trivia savants here at Avondale Nissan — and since we also are always trying to stockpile knowledge to keep things interesting during Thanksgiving dinner — we had a little competition at our Phoenix-area dealership. We thought we’d each search for some interesting automotive facts, and put together the ten best ones and share them with our friends on the dealership blog. So, without further ado, here are our picks for the best ten automotive facts we’ve come up with.
Ten Interesting Automotive Facts
- If you are trying to unlock your car using a remote key and it seems you’re out of range of the signal, hold the remote up to your head and click “unlock.” Did it work? If so, it’s because your skull amplifies the signal, doubling its range.
- The phrase “It’s a doozy” has its roots in the automotive industry. The “doozy” actually referred to the Duesenberg, one of the most luxurious cars of the 1920s.
- In Switzerland, traffic fines are set up to be proportional to the income of the perpetrator; i.e. if you’re rich, your fines will be steep. The biggest on record? A $1,000,000 fine for a Swedish driver stopped going over 180 mph.
Read More: The Nissan Versa Note Color Studio
- You often think of your dashboard as the home of your gauges and A/C vents, but what about before there was any such thing as gauges and A/C vents? It was initially simply a board placed on the front of a horse-drawn carriage, positioned to keep mud and debris from being “dashed up” from a horse’s hooves…thus, a “dashboard.”
- China is known for having some of the world’s worst traffic jams, but why just sit there and wait? Some wealthier Chinese businessmen employ motorbike “getaway drivers,” who pick them up, drop off a substitute driver, and deliver them away from the traffic so they can get back to their important lives.
Read More: The Nissan Heisman House
- You love that “new car smell,” don’t you? Well, since the smell is the combination of fifty or so volatile organic compounds present in a new car, maybe you shouldn’t. Luckily, these compounds are all non-toxic. Or so we’ve been told.
- The world’s first known fatality from a road accident was in England in 1869. The victim was a prominent scientist named Mary Ward, who died when she was thrown from a steam-powered car.
- The first American pedestrian to be struck and killed by a car was named Henry Bliss, hit by a NYC taxi in 1899. A plaque was placed at the scene of the accident, on the corner of W. 74th St. and Central Park West, on the hundredth anniversary of the event on September 13th, 1899.
- The first speeding ticket on record was issued in 1902. Most cars at the time were incapable of traveling over 45 mph.
- Don’t commit a carjacking in South Africa. Because they’ve become so common, some high-end automakers such as BMW are equipping their cars with under-car flamethrowers.
Do you have any great automotive facts that we might have missed? If so, we’d love to hear them! Come see us at Avondale Nissan and flex your car knowledge!