1) When MOTs were first introduced in 1960, it was only cars that are 10 years old that had to pass an annual test. In 1967 this was reduced to 3 years.
2) Did you know that the first tyres were in fact white? Rubber is white as its natural colour but these early white tyres weren’t durable at all. It was Crayola – yes the crayon maker – who first found out that the black pigment used to dye rubber enabled tyres to be stronger and much more in line with what was needed on a car.
3) The average British driver will spend around 99 days of their lifetime stuck in traffic
4) 75% of all cars that Rolls Royce have ever produced are still on the road. Either they’re well built or well looked after – we suspect it’s both!
5) The largest speeding fine ever issued was for €1,000,000. This was given to a Swedish man caught driving at 180mph. In Sweden, fines are issued in line with how much you earn – so he must’ve been on a few quid!
6) It takes about 15ml of fuel to get a car started – so just a little less than a single measure at the bar!
7) Airbags are deployed at speeds of around 4,500 mph and within 40 milliseconds of an accident – how does that compare to your reactions?
8) The average car computer has around 100 miles worth of code stored in it that enables it to operate
9) The first fuel gauge wasn’t installed on a car until 1922 – that’s around 30 years after they started going into production
10) £3.3m worth of fraudulent car crash claims are detected every day!