Road Trip? Your Car's AC Can Keep You Healthy!

May 20, 2009 at 7:07 AM by Cafe Suzanne - Comments (3)

Photo from Small Town Toys

My family and I will be road-tripping it to our favorite beach town in Massachusetts this summer, and while I know it will be wonderful once we get there, I'm not looking forward to all of the inevitable car-related "fun." There will be traffic jams, a screaming, bored baby who wants out of her car seat, and the never-ending battle with Mr. Cafe Suzanne over the air conditioning. He likes the windows down; I like the AC on. But this year, I plan on winning that argument once and for all: Research shows that using the air conditioning can keep you healthy.

According to a study released earlier this week by German scientists, air conditioning in cars cuts out more than 80 percent of germs, fungal spores, and particles from outside air—this is particularly good news if you've got allergies. In the study, researchers monitored the air quality in three cars that were between five and ten years old, and found it was significantly better when the air conditioners were on.

The scientists point out, however, that the tests were done on cars whose air conditioners had been properly maintained—so if you are going on a long road trip, consider having your air filter changed if it's on the older side.

As for me, I'm looking forward to a nice, cool trip to Cape Cod. Maybe we'll even luck out and the baby will sleep the whole way.

Are you driving to your vacation spot this summer? Do you like the AC on or off? What's your least favorite part of family road trips?

FILED UNDER: allergies, summer vacations