We’ve all done it. Say you borrow or rent a car, pull up to the gas station, get out, and swipe your card, only to realize your gas tank is all the way on the other side. Different manufacturers choose to put the gas tanks on different sides — but why is that? Your steering wheel is always on the same side (unless you’re traveling across the pond), so why isn’t your gas tank?
Back in the old days, many gas tanks went directly in the center of the car, with the door in the back. They found that this design could turn a run-of-the-mill accident into something much more fiery and explosive. So, for safety reasons, they moved it to the right or left.
But which…