Why are drivers more likely to get COVID?

A new study from the University of Nottingham has revealed that drivers are more likely to get COVID due to the high frequency with which they touch their faces.
According to a new study performed at the University of Nottingham, drivers touch their faces around 26 times an hour, which can cause germs and infections to spread more easily.
The researchers analysed 31 hours of video footage with the objective of observing exactly how often drivers touched their faces or other areas, whether consciously or not. They observed that drivers touched their faces around 26.4 times per hour.
Each touch lasted around four seconds. The face was the most touched body part (79.6%), followed by the hair (10%), neck (8.6%) and shoulders (1.7%).
Most worrying of all is the fact that on 42.5% of the occasions, the drivers touched the mucous membranes (the inner lining of the lips, the nostrils and the eyes) approximately every five minutes, usually using the tips of the fingers and thumbs, which are often not washed as thoroughly as the rest of the hands.
“Face-touching behaviours present a transmission risk to the driver, particularly if that vehicle is shared or occupied by multiple parties, and where hand hygiene is poor. By scratching their nose or rubbing their eye, for example, the driver may inadvertently transfer viruses or another hazardous foreign substance – acquired from a contaminated vehicle control or surface while driving or prior to entering the vehicle – to their face,” explained one of the researchers, David R. Large.
Awareness-raising campaigns can help to inform drivers of the potential risks associated with touching the face. Drivers should also make sure to wash their hands before getting into the car.
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