10 Random Car Facts That Will Boggle Your Mind

In 2007, handlers at the Calgary Zoo trained a family of Canadian beavers to operate miniature cars. Zoo officials were hoping the cars would increase the speed at which the beavers could transport logs to and from their dams. The vehicles even had seats designed to fit their large, cumbersome tails.

The unfortunate thing about that story is that it’s not remotely true.

But what you can believe is that Canada has some of the weirdest car-related facts of any country on the planet.

The following 10 facts are 100% legit. Even #6, which, if you ask me, is weirder than the beaver one.

#1

There are 247 car accidents in Canada each year that involve a moose.

Let’s observe a moment of silence for our fallen comrades.

#2

Remember in 2004, when Oprah gave away all those Pontiac G6s to her audience members? Well, they weren’t entirely free.

The lucky recipients of Oprah’s generous gift ending up paying around $6,000 in federal and income taxes.

Not cool Oprah. Not cool.

#3

The Honda Prelude was the first ever mass-produced passenger car to include a mechanical 4-wheel steering system. In fact in its debut year, 1987, it beat out every car, including a Porsche and a Ferrari, in the slalom test.

#4

Ford trucks are stolen more than any other vehicle in Alberta. In the Bureau of Canada’s 2015 report Ford 250s and 350s dominated eight of the top 10 spots.

#5

The length of the Trans-Canada Highway is 7,821 km. If you had a copilot and were traveling 80 km/hr constantly–only stopping for the occasional Tim Hortons break–it would take you approximately four days to travel the length of the highway.

If you didn’t have a copilot and needed to stop for sleep, you’d probably have to double that time for around 8 days. Still, that’s an entire country in about a week.

Not bad.

#6

Residents of Churchill, Manitoba leave their cars and homes unlocked, just in case someone runs into a polar bear in the middle of the street.

In fact, it is illegal to lock your doors in Churchill.

#7

You would think cassette players would have been ditched by car manufacturers a long time ago, right?

Wrong.

The last car manufactured with cassette capabilities was the Ford Crown Vic in 2011. Just 6 years ago!

#8

Imagine opening the trunk of your new crossover, only to find that it came with a complimentary picnic table.

Talk about a score.

Well, that actually happened with Honda CR-V’s back in the day. First and second generation models came with a standard flip-out picnic table. There was also an optional shower kit too.

#9

Sweden switched the side of the road people drove on in one day.

On September 3rd, 1967 at 4:50 am, all traffic was changed from the left side of the road to the right. In one, seamless transition. You would probably expect total mayhem after right? In actuality, traffic accidents were down by a significant margin.

#10

You are 23 times more likely to be involved in a collision if you text while driving. You are four times more likely if you talk on a cell phone (hand-held or hands-free) while driving. That one’s a no-brainer.

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Sources: Business 2 Community, Huffington Post, Jalopnik, The Globe and Mail, Insurance Bureau of Canada, Driving.ca, History, Wikipedia