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Gain valuable insights on how to protect your vehicle and understand the cultural influences that have shaped the automotive industry.
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00:00Have you noticed that American vehicles are getting larger?
00:03The top three best-selling vehicles in the U.S. for 2023 are all massive pickup trucks.
00:11When you look at the top 15 car models sold, only three of them are sedans.
00:17Everything else is either an SUV or a truck.
00:21In the rest of the world, automobiles are notably compact.
00:25In Europe, for example, compact cars like city vehicles, subcompacts, and smaller cars accounted for over 35% of sales
00:34in 2021.
00:36In the United States, these three categories represented just a little over 10% of sales.
00:44I mean, there's a trend for extra in many aspects of consumption.
00:49Refrigerators in kitchens or fast food meals are larger than their counterparts in other countries.
00:55Studies say that consumers have a preference for larger vehicles when given the choice.
01:00So there's a bit of a chicken and egg situation here.
01:03Consumer preferences have pushed car manufacturers to produce progressively larger vehicles.
01:10Massive trucks and SUVs were made one after another.
01:14And then, to top it off, this giant 8-foot-tall red truck came roaring by and left behind a
01:20trail of thick smog.
01:22Considering rising environmental concerns and record-breaking heat worldwide, you would expect smaller cars to be more popular.
01:30Apparently, no.
01:32But when thousands of people follow this trend, many other problems come along.
01:37We'll get to that later.
01:39The Ocean State used to be the last stronghold of the majority car culture, but it couldn't resist any longer.
01:46Even Rhode Island has had a takeover of trucks.
01:49From the 1900s until the late 1980s, cars ruled the roads across the nation.
01:55But in 1989, trucks made their move, starting with Alaska.
02:00After that, several states in the Mountain West and Northern Plains joined the truck trend.
02:05It was after 2008 that most states embraced trucks, especially when crossover utilities gained popularity in the suburbs.
02:15This truck wave seemed to peak in 2012.
02:19More than a dozen states switched allegiance.
02:22Here, some industry experts argue that regulatory gaps have contributed to this transformation.
02:28Loopholes that favor trucks have played a significant role in driving this trend.
02:34Updated tracking methods by the Federal Highway Administration included pickups, SUVs, vans, crossovers, and even commercial and government vehicles in
02:43the truck category.
02:45Okay, but why do people want to go for these vehicles?
02:49Well, gas is relatively cheap in America.
02:52Plus, many people find larger vehicles more convenient.
02:55Lastly, with massive advertising and lobbying budgets, car companies have a strong motivation to sell people light trucks.
03:03Cars usually have two rows of seats and a trunk or hatchback, while light trucks are typically built on a
03:10truck chassis.
03:11In the case of many crossovers, they're built on a car chassis with some off-roading features added.
03:18Nowadays, the theoretical distinction between a car and a truck can be a bit blurry.
03:24What's certain is that trucks are generally more profitable than cars, thanks to two historical factors.
03:31First, there's the chicken tax, a 25% tariff imposed in 1964 as part of a trade clash with Europe.
03:39This tariff made producing pickups and cargo vans more profitable in the U.S.
03:44Because foreign factories couldn't undercut the prices of American manufacturers.
03:50Second, the corporate average fuel economy standards were established in 1975.
03:56They were more lenient for work trucks and light trucks compared to family sedans.
04:00Trucks were also exempt from the 1978 gas guzzler tax.
04:04These incentives led American car manufacturers to focus on trucks.
04:10In fact, this sort of resulted in the birth of the SUV, which often combines the features of a car
04:15and a truck.
04:17Nowadays, you go towards a crossover SUV if you have a family of five, for example.
04:22It's a vehicle resembling a station wagon with some extra features.
04:26These extras allow it to be classified as a light truck.
04:32In 2016, the automotive landscape in the United States was undergoing a noticeable shift as SUVs and pickup trucks took
04:41center stage on the market.
04:43With each passing month, the share of traditional car sales was gradually shrinking.
04:48It was largely due to the lower petrol prices and changing consumer preferences.
04:54SUVs have long held a special place in the hearts of Americans.
04:59Crossovers, a category including smaller SUVs like the Toyota RAV4 and Ford Escape, bear a striking resemblance to the cars
05:07of the 1950s.
05:09These similarities emphasized the vehicle's taller profile, elevated seating position, and spacious interiors.
05:17This combination resonated with consumers, who appreciated the commanding view of the road and expansive window views, causing them to
05:25drift away from the traditional sedan.
05:27Sales of larger sedans had taken a sharp dive, and even the luxury sedan market had stagnated.
05:34This pushed companies like Maserati and Jaguar, originally known for their sports cars, into the SUV market.
05:42Even iconic brands like the Porsche began to focus on SUVs and crossovers.
05:47They realized the popularity trend of consumers.
05:51Andrew Coetzee, head of product planning at Toyota, says that their strategy emphasizes injecting more personality and flavor into their
06:00vehicles, particularly to cater to younger buyers.
06:04Okay, the look and feel of these giants might be great, but now let's explore the less seen side.
06:11There are drawbacks to these larger vehicles.
06:15They come with a heftier price tag and tend to consume more fuel.
06:19When they were first made, fuel prices weren't high.
06:22But now, spending more on fuel can be a problem for your wallet.
06:26There's more.
06:28Some research suggests that accidents involving larger vehicles contribute to more fatalities on American roads than their counterparts.
06:36They also pose a greater risk to pedestrians and cyclists.
06:40The number of pedestrian fatalities has doubled.
06:43In 2021, road accidents became the second leading cause of saying goodbye to this world for Americans under 45.
06:53This situation would be merely intriguing if the large vehicles didn't have a range of potentially lethal attributes.
07:00As American cars have grown in size, the number of fatalities among drivers and passengers inside these rolling fortresses has
07:08decreased by 22%.
07:10But according to experts' estimates, thousands of pedestrians' lives could have been saved between 2000 and 2018 if Americans had
07:19continued to favor smaller vehicles.
07:22The association of individualism with driving can also have the worst consequences for those inside cars.
07:30Almost 1 in 10 drivers and front seat passengers in the U.S. don't wear seatbelts.
07:35And 45% admit to regularly driving at least 15 miles per hour over the speed limit on highways.
07:42These percentages are far lower in the U.K. at just 3%.
07:47In total, 43,000 individuals lost their lives on American roads in 2021.
07:54This is the highest mortality rate among developed nations by a substantial margin.
07:59Estimates indicate that a fifth of these lives could have been spared each year if the rates of speeding and
08:05seatbelt use matched those of comparable countries.
08:08Modern-day pickup trucks are now designed more for kids and families than livestock and giant rocks.
08:15Before the 80s, nearly every pickup truck in the U.S. had a single cab, meaning you could squeeze in
08:21a total of three people inside.
08:23They all shared a bench-style seat, plus the bed stretched 8 feet, making the truck a full-sized, long
08:30-bed vehicle.
08:31But these models are becoming a relic of the past.
08:35As of 2020, 80% of pickup trucks in the streets sported what we might call extended crew cabs.
08:42This means they've got not one, but two sets of comfy seats for up to five people.
08:48Most of these models also have four doors that could rival your average suburban home's entrance.
08:53The cargo space?
08:55Well, let's just say it's been put on a diet.
08:57These passenger-packed, cargo-slimmed setups have become all the rage, so much so that a few brands have said
09:04farewell to single-cap models.
09:06As pickup trucks evolved into family-friendly rides, they underwent a makeover, too.
09:12The typical American truck now commands a price tag close to $50,000, marking a 41% surge from a
09:19mere decade ago.
09:21These trucks often flaunt lavish, feature-packed interiors crafted to give high-end SUVs and sedans a run for their
09:29money.
09:31So, you found your first gray hair, and you have a huge desire to pull it out and keep it
09:36as a souvenir.
09:37But the all-knowing grandma stops you from doing that, since everybody knows two new hairs will grow in its
09:44place.
09:44It's one of the most popular myths that have been going around for years.
09:49When you pluck out a hair, the follicle still stays where it was, and it will produce a substitute soon
09:55enough.
09:56But it doesn't have the superpower to multiply, so you'll get just one new gray hair.
10:02The new hair might even be darker, as the hair follicle might produce another pigment this time.
10:08If you go too far with plucking, though, you might no longer have any hair in that very spot.
10:15Are you afraid of using your cell phone at the gas pump, because it might cause an explosion?
10:21Well, there hasn't been a single documented case of a phone giving off a static electrical charge and causing a
10:28tragedy.
10:29All the no-cell phone signs at gas stations are a precaution.
10:33Electronic materials aren't welcome there, because they might cause static electricity and be a source of danger.
10:40Plus, you should be 100% alert whenever you're driving.
10:45Chatting or texting while fueling up might cause some bad consequences, like driving away with a gas pump in your
10:51car.
10:52A viral video made millions of people believe that if you see a wire tied to your car door handle,
10:59you gotta call the police immediately.
11:01According to the author, kidnappers use this trick to distract you, and then go after you.
11:07In reality, there have been no officially recorded cases of anyone getting kidnapped this way.
11:13This urban legend must come from a 2015 Facebook post, which mentioned the wire trick and was debunked soon after
11:20it came out.
11:21The idea lived on, though, and keeps resurfacing.
11:26It does make sense to look after yourself and follow some simple rules that will let you stay safe on
11:32the road anyway.
11:34You might want to learn some self-defense, park in well-lit areas, and always look around for suspicious things
11:40and people before you get in the car.
11:42Also, remember that a lot of similar myths and urban legends are only created to grab your attention and get
11:49their author some likes and shares.
11:53If you add brown sugar to your coffee, confident that it's healthier than the white option, it's probably not the
11:59best idea.
11:59Brown sugar does contain some minerals, but the amount of them is so tiny that it can't really benefit your
12:06health.
12:07Otherwise, it has the same amount of calories and nutritional value as the white sugar.
12:13The only difference is in color, flavor and the manufacturing process.
12:18Brown sugar doesn't go through that much chemical processing.
12:21So, if you're trying to cut your calories, it doesn't really matter which of the sugar types you add to
12:27your food.
12:29When you press the snooze button in the morning, you're not actually going to get those extra 10 minutes of
12:35sleep.
12:36It does feel good to postpone getting up, but the snooze button makes you feel more tired instead of providing
12:41you with extra rest.
12:43You have your own biological sleep cycle that adjusts to your schedule.
12:49When you wake up and instantly fall asleep again, your brain gets confused, which is why it will get harder
12:55and harder for you to get up when the alarm rings for the second or fifth time.
13:00In the long run, the snooze button may mess with your ability to get high-quality deep sleep.
13:08Another popular sleep myth is that you swallow up eight spiders every night without knowing.
13:14Relax, you don't swallow any spiders at all.
13:18To them, you look like a giant, or rather, a mountain in the landscape.
13:22Any sounds you produce while sleeping, like breathing or your heartbeat, are super scary to them.
13:28So, all they want to do is stay as far away from you as they can.
13:34This myth went global after a magazine article that mentioned people easily believe anything they see online.
13:41Well, the article was right, after all.
13:44You don't really have to wait 30 minutes or longer to swim after lunch.
13:49This myth has been around for more than a century, as it was a rule published in the 1908 Boy
13:55Scout Handbook.
13:56It said that swimming sooner than 90 minutes after food could lead to very dangerous consequences.
14:03It made many people believe that because digestion diverts blood flow from the muscles to the stomach,
14:09swimming could prevent the blood flow to the stomach, give you cramps and even make you drown.
14:15In reality, extra blood goes to the stomach, but it doesn't affect your arms or legs.
14:21Food might even be good for your swim, as it will provide you with extra energy.
14:26And don't forget to take enough water with it to stay hydrated.
14:31Diamonds are super expensive because they are so rare, right?
14:35It turns out they aren't as rare as we're made to believe.
14:39Rubies, emeralds and sapphires are much rarer and far more expensive than diamonds.
14:46Scientists have even found a way to create artificial diamonds, making their production rather easy.
14:52So that price people are willing to pay is a result of a super successful marketing campaign from over a
14:59century ago.
15:01The company that mined and sold diamonds spread myths about these gems around the world.
15:07They convinced everyone on the planet that diamonds are so rare that the price is reasonable.
15:13Plus, they've turned these rocks into a symbol of love and engagement.
15:19Movies made us believe all dinosaurs were huge, dangerous lizards.
15:24But in reality, there were all kinds of dino species.
15:28Some of them weren't much bigger than a cat or a golden retriever.
15:32It looks like those smaller species were more numerous than their big relatives.
15:37Plus, some dinoes, like T-Rex, were even covered with feathers, especially in the early stages of their lives.
15:45The deeper you go inside the ocean, the darker it gets until there is no light at all.
15:50The colors change from blue-green close to the surface to more intense blues and then down to indigo blue
15:58and total blackness.
16:01Well, sunlight penetrates deep waters weakly, so technically below 3200 feet there is officially no light.
16:09But there is another type of light down there.
16:12It's all about blue and green luminescence.
16:15It generates light thanks to an enzyme called luciferase.
16:19It breaks down high-energy molecules and produces photons and bacteria and some deep-sea fish bodies.
16:28It seems logical that summers are so warm because our planet gets closer to the sun.
16:33And winters are so cold because the Earth gets as far from our star as it can be.
16:38Yet, it's another popular myth.
16:40When it's summer in the northern hemisphere, our planet isn't actually closer to the sun.
16:46It's the opposite.
16:47The Earth is at its farthest point from the sun during July and at its closest point during January.
16:54Summer is warm because the axis of our planet is tilted.
16:58During its orbit, the Earth's tilt allows energy coming from the sun to hit us more directly because the angle
17:05is steeper.
17:07The asteroid belt isn't as dangerous as blockbuster made us believe.
17:12If you were to travel through, it wouldn't be a flight through a dense and chaotic field of rocks smashing
17:17into each other.
17:18The asteroid belt is a zone that's 200 million or 300 million miles away from the sun.
17:25It's a very isolated and lonely void with much space in between.
17:29If you pulled all those asteroids from that belt together, you'd get a mass that's around 4% of our
17:36moon.
17:37That's why astronauts get really excited when they see just one asteroid smashing into another one.
17:44Otherwise, space is not that eventful.
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