It’s a safe assumption that none of us want to be gripping a toilet seat, but you might be…when you’re driving! According to a study from CarRentals.com, about one-third of us are driving around with a steering wheel that’s more funk-ridden than any toilet seat.

To make it even nastier? The research shows that the average steering wheel has four times more bacteria on it than a typical public toilet seat does. How’s that? When you break down the numbers, that average steering wheel has 629 “colony-forming units” as opposed to a toilet seat’s 172. It’s a little better for the cupholder and seatbelt, where the numbers are 506 and 403 respectively.

While it’s common for people to eat, drink, sneeze, cough, and whatever other nasty business they’re doing in their cars, only 32% of people take the time to clean their interiors annually. Even if you’re one of those meticulous car cleaners, you’re still not out of the woods. The average gas pump is reported to have two million of those “colony-forming units” scurrying about. Tasty.

Then, there’s the ride-share cars. Don’t forget the Purell next time!

Source: Car Rentals