Don’t rent another car without reading this first!

Remember those ads that claimed a certain rental car company had to “try harder” because it was “only No. 2”?

That campaign was so successful that it ran for decades. But now that it’s finally been ditched, there’s a whole new meaning for “No. 2” related to rental cars.

And it’s not going to be made into a commercial!

Jeff Rossen of NBC’s Today show did a recent investigation that found rental cars can be full of germs. And some of them came directly from, well, No. 2.

Rossen and his team rented six vehicles from various franchises in Orlando– a place where cars are often rented by families on vacation. Then they hired a certified lab to swab down each one from top to bottom.

Of 25 samples collected, 22 tested positive for various germs. And human fecal matter was actually found all over the steering wheel of a minivan. That means it would be directly transferred to the hands of the next driver and could be ingested if that person were eating something.

Not only that, but sewage particles were found on a child’s car seat.

One ER doctor who was shown the evidence called it a “serious public health problem” that can result in things like diarrhea and vomiting, which can lead to dehydration.

The study prompted rental car expert Bob Minelli to warn that you should never assume a car is clean, “Most of the time, they’re just looking inside the cars, peeking in and visually trying to see if it’s clean or not and letting it go out to the general public,” he said.
So what should you do when renting a car? The report advises that you use anti-bacterial wipes on the steering wheel and door handles before you drive that vehicle off the lot. And if the car looks visibly filthy, return it immediately and ask for a different one.
As for those rental car companies — well, it looks like they all need to try harder.

Sources:

“In rental cars, dangerous bacteria may come along for the ride” Jeff Rossen and Josh Davis, July 4, 2014, Today News, today.com