5 Facts You Didn’t Know About Cars

Everyone likes to think they know a lot about cars, but how much do you REALLY know? Who invented the first car? Where was the first car built? How many cars are currently on the road today? You can Google these answers, but you may not know them off the top of your head.

Here are a few more fun facts you didn't know about cars:

1. 1. One horse does not have one horsepower.

Vehicle manufacturers use the term "horsepower" as a unit of measurement of power, the amount of power it would take to lift 33,000 lbs by 1 foot off the ground in 60 seconds. A real horse only has about 0.7 horsepower!

1. 2. Your car is an elaborate puzzle of parts.

You have no idea how many moving parts go into making a vehicle! A spark plug alone has up to 15 individual parts and components, and that's just a tiny piece of the puzzle. Your engine, transmission, and steering system are all made up of dozens of smaller parts, each of which contain their own components. Get into the body and structure of the vehicle, and the parts start to number in the hundreds. By the time you finish off all the little details (lights, interior décor, stereo system, etc.), you've reached THOUSANDS of parts--all tiny little puzzle pieces working together to make your car go. Talk about mind-boggling!

1. 3. Keeping a full tank keeps your car healthy

One of the best ways to get better mileage from your car is to keep the tank full. Why is this? According to the EPA, you lose at least 1/8th of a gallon of gas per year, all because gas tanks are designed to vent fumes from the gas tank. The more empty space you have in your gas tank, the more fumes can be produced. By keeping your tank full, you reduce fumes, thereby reducing the amount of gasoline that evaporates and is purged from your tank.

1. 4. Seat belt usage laws still vary by state.

Can you believe that seat belt laws are legislated by the individual states, and not the U.S. Government? New Hampshire doesn't require adult drivers to wear seat belts, but only 42 out of the 50 states have secondary enforcement laws (laws that allow for a fine in case of a motor vehicle incident where the driver wasn't wearing a seatbelt).

1. 5. The car of the future needs a driver's license.

Even if your vehicle becomes autonomous (self-driving), you will need a driver's license for one simple reason: you may have to take manual control of the vehicle in case of an emergency. All autonomous vehicles currently have manual overrides, and there must be a driver in the driver's seat at all times!

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