steering wheel

Hard to believe, but true there are 107 germs per square centimeter on the car steering wheel.
On a toilet seat of a public toilet, the average is only 17 per square centimeter. The gear lever has a similar contamination.
The seats and surfaces of the dashboard, like the touch screen, the navigation system and all possible switches look similar.

After driving, hands should be disinfected or washed thoroughly immediately.

There are nine times more bacteria on the steering wheel than on the seat of a public toilet.
Researchers at Queen Mary University in London found out years ago. Above all, food residue on the hands of a car driver turns the steering wheel and the fittings into germination points.

Prof. Dr. Ron Cutler of the Queen Mary University of London has found in his studies that there are up to nine times more germs on a car steering wheel than in a public toilet. Prof. Dr. Cutler comments:
Most people clean their houses, but many neglect to clean their cars and drive around in vehicles that resemble a garbage can.

Source: Queen Mary University of London
Link:
https://www.qmul.ac.uk/sbcs/news/items/why-your-steering-wheel-is-dirtier-than-a-public-toilet-seat.html

Questions and quotations:

Prof. Dr. med. Aristomenis Exadaktylos, Chief Physician and Director of the University Emergency Centre Inselspital (University Hospital Bern), on the subject of bacteria on the steering wheel.

Mr. Exadaktylos, should we carry medical disinfectants with us in our everyday lives in order to have hands that are as germ-free as possible?

It should be standard practice to wash your hands before eating or after contact with body orifices Disinfectants are practical when water and soap are missing.

Do you advise to disinfect the handlebars when using a rental car?

Hysteria is out of place. Pathogens are part of nature and our immune system can deal with most of them very well. Otherwise we’d be sick all the time. However, there are some bacteria and also viruses that can spoil our holiday quite quickly. Wiping the steering wheel and the gear knob with a disinfectant wipe will therefore never hurt.

And when filling up with only a handkerchief or gloves?

Numerous studies illustrate how much our defence system is challenged in everyday life, as germs lurk everywhere and all the time.
Wiping your hands with a disinfectant wipe after refuelling will certainly not harm, quite the contrary. Nevertheless, it is equally important to strengthen our defence system from time to time.

Can viruses and bacteria really survive for a long time on an object and be dangerous for humans?

Yes, unfortunately. Some pathogens can survive for many years or even severe temperature fluctuations. We must not forget that these tiny creations existed long before humans and they will probably still be there when humans are no longer around.

Source: Tcs Schweiz
Link:
https://www.tcs.ch/de/camping-reisen/reiseinformationen/gesundheitsfragen/lenkrad-desinfizieren.php