Bedford Driving Lessons

Motorists who do not use screenwash for their windscreen wipers risk getting potentially deadly legionnaires’ disease, a study revealed today. The warning comes after health experts discovered that professional drivers were five times more likely to be infected with the dangerous bug, which is found in warm, stagnant water. Drivers are now being urged to add screenwash to their wiper water after traces of the legionella bacterium were found in one in five cars that did not have the additive, but in no cars that did. It is feared that around 20% of legionnaires’ cases could arise from such exposure. The findings come from a Health Protection Agency-led study, which looked at why people at the wheel were more likely to be infected. Most at risk were found to be those driving a van, people who drive through industrial areas, and people who often had the car window open. But the “most intriguing” higher-risk group was drivers not using screenwash, which kills off the legionella bug, the study authors found. They said: “Not adding screenwash to windscreen wiper fluid is a previously unidentified risk factor and appears to be strongly associated with community- acquired sporadic cases of legionnaires’ disease. More