The Navel of Narcissus

I suspect many business travelers are fairly well-heeled with a nice car or two in the driveway at home. Maybe a BMW, a Volvo, an Audi, etc. You probably have the latest safety features like ABS brakes, traction control, dynamic stability control, side-curtain airbags, etc.

Have you ever thought about the cars you rent when traveling on business? In particular, how rental cars may differ from what you are used to driving at home?

Maximum braking with ABS is fine--the computer will ensure you don't lose traction as best it can. With dynamic stability control (found on some BMWs) you can steer through a turn at speed under maximum braking and not lose control. But don't try such manoevers in a rental car. Rental cars don't generally have these advanced safety features and therefore need to be handled very differently under extreme circumstances.

Comments:

Was this prompted by a personal experience, Josh? It works boths ways, of course. My father-in-law told me of the first time he unwittingly rented a car with power steering, back in the 1950s. "The first time I came to a corner, I lifted both inside wheels and nearly rolled it!"

Posted by Geoff Arnold on September 16, 2006 at 11:41 AM EDT #

Thankfully, no. I started thinking about the differences between rental cars and home cars after noticing that the practice of labelling the left/right location of the gas cap with a little arrow icon next to the fuel gauge has become a lot more common, presumably as a specific aid for renters.

Not sure exactly how I got from that "A" to this final "B," but that's where it started.

Posted by Josh Simons on September 16, 2006 at 12:23 PM EDT #

Come to that... how often do you check that the wheelnuts are done up on a rental car? Or when you pick your own car up from being serviced or having the tyres/brakes/shock absorbers seen to?

Posted by Robin Wilton on September 16, 2006 at 05:43 PM EDT #

yes. i agree with you.it's dangerous,but it is applicable some car rental services,any way before taking a car rental,we must check all parts of vechile.limousine shuttle taxi providing best services with personalized service with professional drivers.

Posted by akia on September 25, 2006 at 05:44 AM EDT #