Rental Cars a Breeding Ground for Gross
Miami rental cars were found to have everything from vomit to strept throat
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CHICAGO - JULY 30: A customer returns his rental car to the Budget car rental office July 30, 2002 at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois . Budget Group Inc., which owns the world's third-largest car and truck rental company, filed petitions seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for itself and 48 subsidiaries in federal court July 29. According to the Wall Street Journal, Cendant Corp., parent company of rival Avis, is considering buying the troubled company through bankruptcy proceedings. Budget cited a post-September 11 tourism slowdown as one of the major factors in its troubles. (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)
We knew there were certain vehicles in Miami we'd never want to get into, but they were more like this.
But apparently, there are some that we wouldn't want to get in even fully clothed.
Tell mom and dad, the next time they decide to grace you with a visit, that they might want to skip the rental car. Or at least pick up some anti-bacterial wipes before they leave the airport.
Apparently rental cars are germ city, and so the Today Show decided to go to one of the biggest rental car hubs in America: Miami.
Random cars from different agencies were taken to some sort of lab and tested for all kinds of grossness. What the official guy in the lab coat found was not only the usual - sticky residue, crumbs, vomit - but that four out of the six vehicles contained high counts of bacteria, as much as a public restroom, on places like the steering wheel and gear shift. They also found the stuff that causes strept throat all over areas like the child seat and door handle.
The American Rental Car Association wouldn't comment.
Bob Minelli, a former rental car franchise owner, said that part of the reason for the filthy fleets is because companies are slashing costs by downsizing the cleaning staff. They are rushing cars out before they're sanitized. Three out of 10, he said, might get a good cleaning, so be sure to give your Sebring convertible a good sanitary wipedown before heading to the beach... and stepping on a syringe.
Posted Thursday, Mar 4, 2010 - 4:42 PM EST
