Study: Steering wheels are dirtier than a toilet
It is no secret that the things we so readily handle on a daily basis without granting a second thought to, are downright filthy and germ-ridden. We’ve heard it forever about currency, door-knobs, and other people’s hands, but a new study out of London’s Queen Mary University says that car steering wheels are a much more dangerous culprit.
Approximately 700 bacteria occupy a single square inch of steering wheel real estate, compared to the 80 that dwell on the same area of a toilet seat.
Of course, most of those micro-organisms are benign. There are some however, that aren’t. Bacillus cereus for instance, is one that if ingested, could cause food-borne illnesses. This really wouldn’t be too big of a concern, save for the fact that approximately 42% of drivers regularly dine behind the wheel.
Before borrowing your buddy’s car, remember the fact that only 33% of drivers clean the interior of their car as often as once per year, and 10% have never cleaned their interior – unless of course you consider the rinse a dashboard gets from a spilled bottle of Coke, a cleaning.
-By: Stephen Calogera
