5 Popular Urban Legends Involving Cars

Urban legends are a common phenomenon in all parts of the world. Everybody probably has a favorite urban legend associated with horrific, ghoulish characters, but for every part of your life, there is almost certainly a selection of urban legends. Driving is no exception, of course. Over the years, drivers and passengers alike have concocted a host of different myths and stories, which have grown to become established urban legends. We asked the team at Folger Subaru for their favourites and here are five of the most popular ones.

Carjackers and flyers

For many years now, worried motorists have been warned of the threat to their precious cars from gangs of roaming carjackers. Using a combination of cunning and audacity, these carjackers place flyers on the rear windshield of your car, hoping that you won't notice until you have started the engine. In a fit of irritation, you will leap out of the car to remove the flyer, allowing the carjacker to jump in and drive off. While there can be no guarantee that this has never happened to anybody, the reports that it is commonplace are not founded in evidence, though it makes good sense to ensure that you take the keys with you, even if you step away from the car for a few seconds.

Red cars and speeding tickets

Many drivers will theorize that there is strong evidence that red cars are given speeding tickets more often than any other colored car. There are a number of different theories why this is the case, ranging from 'the police like to ticket red cars' to 'red cars get stolen more often' but the fact is that there is no statistical evidence to support this theory. Of course, many super cars and sports cars are red, but as a percentage of the overall auto population, that probably isn't enough to sway the trend.

Sugar in the gas tank

There seems to be a popular misconception that sugar in the gas tank will ruin your car's engine. The theory suggests that the sugar dissolves in the gasoline and then melts into a sludge as it passes through the engine, clogging every nook and cranny in a sugary goo. In fact, the sugar doesn't dissolve in the gas tank at all. Small amounts would be controlled by the fuel filter, but larger amounts would simply fill up the gas tank and prevent fuel from reaching the engine. The reality is that the sugar would never really get anywhere near the engine, though a big deposit in the fuel tank would certainly be a nuisance.

Keys and cell phones

Common urban legend would lead you to believe that if your car is equipped with a remote keyless entry system, then any would-be thief can let him or herself into your car with a cell phone signal, playing the 'sound' transmitted by the keyless device. This might work if keyless systems did, indeed, use sound, but the fact is that they don't. They use a radio frequency signal that cannot be relayed by mobile phone, so you're quite safe, whatever anybody tells you.

Driving barefoot

Many people believe that if you decide to drive without wearing any shoes, then a traffic cop will be obliged to give you a ticket. In fact, there is not a single state in the United States where it is illegal to drive a car without footwear. The only exception could be Alabama, where it is illegal to ride a motorcycle without appropriate footwear, but then that's almost certainly common sense.

Do you know of any myths or urban legends? Let us hear them! Comment below.