I Like to Drive with the Windows Open
I have written extensively about my wife's nutty obsessions over the meaning of expiration dates, how to properly dry dishes, how to store items in a fridge, when fruit is suitable to eat, how to stir cranberry sauce, how to make a perfect hard-boiled egg, making the bed, and leaving things alone.
Here's a phobia I haven't mentioned before: my wife cannot abide riding in a car with even one window open, no matter how pleasant it is outside. I'm not talking about keeping windows down when going at highway speeds, at over 40 miles an hour it's just too turbulent inside the car and more importantly, at those speeds it's more fuel-efficient to keep the windows closed and the air conditioner on (1). I'm talking about driving around town at under 25 miles per hour on a beautiful autumn day - even then she can't take it, telling me that I'm letting in soot and street dirt into the car.
Sometimes I just go out alone on such days with no mission or purpose just so I can tool down the street with both windows down, my arm resting on the window sill, a cool breeze wafting across my face, my car open to the symphony of street sounds. Sadly, I don't do it often enough - I don't even have a driver's arm. And no, I don't leave my arm dangling out inviting a side-swipe to rip it off.
ENDNOTES
(1):
HowStuffWorks, Windows down or A/C on -- which is more fuel-efficient?
If you're searching for a good rule-of-thumb number for when it's best to open the windows and switch off the air conditioner, according to some experts, the cut-off should be around 40 miles per hour (64.4 kilometers per hour) [source: Arthur]. What's the reason? Well, at low speeds your engine is producing less power, so it would have to work much harder to power accessories like the air compressor. When the engine is operating at faster speeds, it's already producing ample power for both the engine and additional equipment [source: Austin].
