Is the inside of your vehicle a health risk?
08 February
Is the cab of your truck like the inside of a teenager’s bedroom?
Is your van dashboard hidden under take-away wrappers and old newspapers?
Footwells that are knee-deep in rubbish and the stains of spilled drinks on upholstery may be a common laughing matter among working drivers. But perhaps it’s time to realise there could a serious side to keeping your car, van or truck a bit cleaner on the inside.
Alarming research has found that many of our vehicle interiors are so dirty and neglected that they pose a health risk. For professional drivers who spend much of their lives in that environment this could be worrying news.
Two scientific surveys have discovered disturbing levels of harmful bacteria inside UK vehicles. One found steering wheels covered with nine times more germs than a public toilet seat. Another discovered bugs that can cause food poisoning growing under a vehicle’s seats.
A high proportion of drivers eat and drink at the wheel and half of us confess to spilling drinks and dropping bits of food occasionally. A third of drivers sometimes carry animals in their vehicles. Yet researchers found only a third cleaned their interior even once a year. One in ten NEVER cleaned inside.
In one study for retailer B&Q, Dr Ron Cutler, director of biomedical science at Queen Mary University, London, said: “Most people clean their homes but many are neglecting to clean their cars and are driving around in vehicles which resemble a rubbish bin.”