Watch Out, Drivers Who Sanitize!

With all that viral fear about going on right now, hand sanitiser & face mask prices have shot up, toilet paper supplies are running low and causing fights. There is news of profiteers getting bitten by their own greed, countries on lock down.

What has all this trouble out there got to do with the useful tips we usually give car owners in our posts?

Cars Are Inherently Safer

Cars owners (and non-drivers included), are safer in these strange times, if they sanitise after touching common contact points.

Generally, cars are definitely safer, cocooned in your own isolated air environment, compared with the squish you get from your friendly neighbours in the MRT and the very social virus they may also be carrying!

Plus, the multiple contact touch-points that commuters in buses and trains have to deal with which are touched by hundreds of others from such as lift buttons, escalator handles and grab handles – these commuters definitely should sanitise or wash their hands before scratching to relieve that itch on the nose. Comparatively, everything a car owner touches is his own and likely only touched by his family, making travel by private car a less risky affair.

Here’s Where It Gets Hazardous, Drivers!

But there is one unintended and rather dangerous effect of hand sanitising for drivers that never occured to me till the other day when I experienced it myself while driving along Braddell Road with heavy traffic.

It started with a sensation from one corner of my right eye, and some tearing, which got worse as the tears filled the eye, causing the sharp irritation spread from the corner of my eye to the entire eye, flooding my vision till it looked like the road was a swimming pool.

Emergency Coming

I had tried to brush the tears away with the base of my hand but that only worsened the situation and the other eye also started to involuntarily tear without provocation, because the feeling was so intense, I could feel my nasal passages moisten up as well.

Truly frightful, and going into emergency mode, the only thing I could think of was to slow and pull to the left side of the road – which you can imagine, is not easy from the fast lane, and in moving traffic, without proper vision.

How I got to the side was part blessing part daily familiarity with this road, which gave me a good feeling of where the bus bay would be, which I reached only almost by chance and my best guess!

First Thought: What Happened?

A little confused and greatly relieved to be stationary in the safety of the bus bay, whilst clearing my eyes desperately with whatever tissues I had, “what happened?” was the question that I was trying to figure out.

Yes, my headline must have given it away, but if you had no hint and were trying to figure out why or how it happened while trying to clear your eyes of a burning sensation, its no so immediately clear.

Stay Healthy But Also Stay Safe While Driving

Sanitise your hands by all means, when not driving, but I would recommend you wash your hands instead. And if you have used a sanitiser that has already caused some irritation, even hours after you have applied it and touched somewhere near the eyes, you know you should try another brand.

Especially if you are a driver, and especially if you also ferry your family around – their wellbeing also depends on you.

Stay safe everyone! Stay healthy in these times.