Published On: Dec 27, 2010
Last updated on:: Dec 27, 2010
Views: 931
ALARMING FACTS ABOUT THE HUMBLE STEERING WHEEL.
My thoughts sometimes meander on how many times I touch and handle my car’s steering wheel and that of other motor vehicles I use.
I often drive with both hands-firmly on the wheel when driving the school mini-bus or my friend’s cars but in the back of my mind where had their hands been before touching this wheel?
Imagine you can fit 4 million bacteria on the end of a pen, add the usual breeding conditions and a little time you have a nice little bug-farm ready to join hands and be a part of you!
Goodness knows what other germs may be lurking on the wheel when men are driving because according to most women ‘They all pick their nose’.
The steering wheel may be a good breeding ground for all kinds of germs and bacteria but some facts have been discovered. Next time you handle your car's steering wheel, it would be highly feasible to wash your hands or use a hygienic wipe after your journey. It would be equally sensible to keep some anti-bacterial wipes handy to clean the steering wheel if driving a vehicle used by others. The summer months tend to see your car interior temperatures remain hot during the day when not in use. Winter would see lower temperatures and less chance of bugs breeding but the steering wheel has real potential. As does any grab-rails and handles which has multi-use but the steering wheel does tend to be touched, breathed, sneezed on and is an unlikely suspect for carrying germs and bacteria
Imagine how many times you sneeze and breathe over your own steering wheel?
It is possible to take samples from the steering wheel and this had been performed a few years ago by microbiologists. 'The steering wheel can possibly carry more than twice as many germs as a toilet seat', said the survey.
It’s a know fact that most steering wheels rarely get any form of cleaning or even a wipe including my own. The steering wheel has also been compared to a toilet seat which seems a pretty unlikely contender for carrying fewer germs. This also reminds me of the comparisons of the hair-brush and the tooth-brush, which of these carry the most germs?
The report shows steering wheels average over 41,000 bacteria - compared with only 17,000 for the loo seat.
This proves how easily germs are passed without pausing for thought. My research has discovered that drivers could be making themselves ill by failing to clean their steering wheel frequently enough. Microbiologists who conducted the tests found the sterring wheel rim had 58% more germs than a toilet seat – 41,600 germs compared to 17,400, the survey stated that only one in ten people acually clean the wheel.
It has recently been reported that drivers who do not use screen wash additives could be at risk from other forms of germs and bacteria.
DRIVE CAREFULLY!