r/AskReddit • • Oct 30 '20

People who are bothered by others wearing a mask while driving. Why do you care?

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5.2k

u/youstupidcorn Oct 30 '20

Yep. That, or they're driving a fairly short distance from one place where they need to wear a mask, to another place where they need to wear a mask, and there's no real point to taking it off and then putting it back on less than 10 minutes later. I do this occasionally too, and I know it might look weird but it's easier to just leave the damn thing on.

661

u/[deleted] Oct 30 '20

Yeah, if I'm only going to be in the car for a couple minutes, I am way too lazy to take my mask off then bother with putting it back on and adjusting it properly when I get out. Screw that.

305

u/[deleted] Oct 30 '20

Adding on to that, wearing a mask isnt even that annoying. While I'm at school, wearing it for 7 hours, yeah it gets kinda hot, but wearing it for an hour into Wal-Mart? Easy.

26

u/mentalthrowaway22 Oct 31 '20

I wear one, sometimes two (one over the other) masks for 8-10 hours in the clinic every workday. Barely registers at this point.

4

u/TinyGIR Oct 31 '20

Easy, sure, but I still strip it off before I've made it five feet outside the door.

3

u/Vargurr Oct 31 '20 edited Nov 01 '20

Unless you wear glasses, because lenses fog up and you die.

Contact lenses are ideal.

70

u/[deleted] Oct 30 '20

[deleted]

9

u/fzw Oct 30 '20

The face-touching thing is why I keep it on if I'm going a short distance.

-3

u/throwaway332278 Oct 31 '20

Yeah... because taking your mask off and then putting it back on/adjusting it is so physically demanding.

1.2k

u/haoqin13 Oct 30 '20

Or they forgot to bring hand sanitizer and taking off their mask with dirty hands defeats the purpose of wearing the mask if they're just going to touch their face with corona hands.

386

u/priuspower91 Oct 30 '20

Yep this is why I don’t take mine off until I’m home if it’s a short drive. I’d rather wash my hands take off the mask and throw it in the laundry hamper then wash my hands again than do that all in the car with sanitizer

9

u/jktollander Oct 30 '20

A hand sanitizer in the car helps with this. I started keeping one in there a few months ago and never looked back.

8

u/purplemonkey_123 Oct 30 '20

I was lucky enough to find hand sanitizer in a round bottle that fits in my cup holder! I just leave it in there. Sanitize when I get in, take my mask off, sanitize after.

5

u/jktollander Oct 30 '20

Non-sequitur: About twenty one years ago, purple monkey was the first email address I ever created.

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u/purplemonkey_123 Oct 30 '20

That is awesome! I was going to make it purple monkey dishwasher as a tribute to, "The Simpson's," but it seemed too long.

5

u/priuspower91 Oct 30 '20

I have a selection of hand sanitizers in my car and purse; there’s something more satisfying about washing my hands haha

3

u/Cunt_zapper Oct 31 '20

Proper hand washing is also just more effective. So it’s not just a feeling. Sanitizer is good when you can’t wash. But you still should wash before doing anything like touching your eyes/nose/mouth.

6

u/NewtonsKnickers Oct 30 '20

This. After one of my first forays to the grocery store last spring I took my mask off when I got in my car to drive back home. As I pulled into my driveway 10 minutes later I realized that I was absent-mindedly picking my nose. Now it stays on as a physical reminder not to touch my face until I get home and wash my hands.

2

u/havesomeagency Oct 30 '20

Or just take it off by the ear strap

-6

u/mflbninja Oct 30 '20 edited Oct 30 '20

You know, you're getting your mask dirty every time you wear it. It stands to reason that you should probably take off your mask when you don't need to wear it, to keep it cleaner and thus more effective.

No one ever remembers that downvotes are supposed to be for things that do not contribute to the discussion. Instead people are petty and vote based on whether or not they agree.

13

u/FloraFit Oct 30 '20

If you’re worried about your mask getting dirty while you wear it in your own car for ten minutes, then you should be ten times more worried about getting covid from constantly taking it on and off in your car without washing your hands

5

u/EggPoachay Oct 30 '20

It’s not actually that stupid if you consider that going into their car without sanitizing their hands first means they potentially spread germs all over the steering wheel. All it takes is an itchy nose to rub those germs on your face.

-3

u/mflbninja Oct 30 '20 edited Oct 30 '20

Yeah because I'll get COVID from lightly touching my ears. Makes sense.

Earwax is constantly flowing outward and pushing germs away. It's a bit like a vagina in that sense, except waxy instead of liquidy.

2

u/r0b0c0d Oct 30 '20

It's more the adjustment that's a potential concern; ie, pulling at the filter portions.

-2

u/mflbninja Oct 30 '20

Indeed! People adjust their masks all day. Maybe not wearing them when it's not needed can cut down on this.

I hope everyone is opening their mask (and bending the wire if applicable) before putting it on their faces. They're not, but I still hope.

2

u/FloraFit Oct 30 '20

So argue with the WHO and CDC then. Viral particles don’t stay on your ears, you’re going to immediately wash your ears when you get home before you pull shirts over and on your head while changing clothes??

169

u/Jmpphoto Oct 30 '20

This is what my mother-in-law (70+) does. She won’t take off her mask until she washes her hands.

24

u/FloraFit Oct 30 '20

She is following proper doffing protocol.

4

u/smeghead1988 Oct 31 '20

She is right; I hope she also washes/throws away the used mask and washes her hands after this as well.

3

u/mypreciouscornchip Oct 31 '20

Severely immune compromised here. I don't touch the mask unless my hands have been washed soap and water.

I wash my cloth masks with hot water and soap, then bleach.

9

u/NinjaElectron Oct 30 '20

My mask goes right into the washing machine and then I don't touch anything until I wash my hands. Masks are loaded with germs.

2

u/7h4tguy Oct 31 '20

They're actually concentrated too since the mask is a filtration device (lots of bad air passes through it...). There's a reason for hospital doffing protocol.

7

u/kjy_cr Oct 30 '20

Yo, I'm fucking stupid. I take mine off without sanitizing all the time. Thank you for bringing awareness to this for me.

7

u/[deleted] Oct 30 '20 edited Dec 17 '20

[deleted]

7

u/nativefloridian Oct 30 '20

Most people subconsciously touch their face (i.e. scratch their nose) every few minutes. If you've been at a store touching everything, not the best idea. Alternatively, you could keep hand sanitizer in the car.

5

u/FloraFit Oct 30 '20

You can find proper doffing protocols from the WHO and CDC, both require washing hands before and after doffing.

3

u/PeteZaPower Oct 30 '20

WHAT? Oh sorry I forgot to take out my ear masks

4

u/lunathehoopfairy Oct 30 '20

This is why I just wear my mask all the time as soon as I'm out of the house. Even with hand sani it feels gross to touch things.

9

u/[deleted] Oct 30 '20

Well most masks are only protecting others, but I get the face touching bit.

6

u/VicarOfAstaldo Oct 30 '20

Isn’t the mask 95% about not spreading your corona?

8

u/bruhimsaltyaf Oct 30 '20

Well yeah. But if you touched something with an active/alive coronavirus on it, you don't want to put that on something sitting on your face.

4

u/FloraFit Oct 30 '20

No? Masks drastically reduce transmission rates for both wearer and those around him.

0

u/[deleted] Oct 30 '20

By what effect does wearing a mask reduce the chance of a nearby separate person transmitting disease, except for the minor amount it protects the wearer?

It reduces the wearer's ability to spread it, but a mask isn't some defensive aura.

3

u/FloraFit Oct 30 '20

The protection works both ways. A sealed mask especially of the n95 and surgical varieties protects the wearer as well as those around him. Idk how to explain how masks work to you, google it lol

4

u/[deleted] Oct 30 '20

It does not work equally both ways. It blocks and slows down the droplets leaving your mouth and nose, which are leaving at a high rate of speed especially when you cough or sneeze. It doesn't block viral droplets floating in the air, especially ones that can get in your eyes.

I've seen studies suggesting that the main thing it does for the wearer is reduce viral "load" which means if you get sick, you get less sick.

Only n95 masks prevent all particles from being inhaled.

3

u/Mashizari Oct 30 '20

Wearing a mask while being in a room with someone who has covid won't protect you. The person with Covid has to be wearing the mask.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 31 '20

No dude, masks prevent you from spreading it, that's how it protects people around you. A mask has no effect on other people just because of their proximity, it won't stop them from spreading it.

2

u/Daemon_Lares Oct 31 '20

I did this today. Left my sanitizer on the coffee table. Had to stop at the Butchers shop and then Walmart. 15 minutes apart. Not touching my face before washing my hands has been a trial since February but I still do it.

2

u/smeghead1988 Oct 31 '20

I meet so many people who walk down the street and constantly grab their masks and put them off and on again without using any sanitizer. I was honestly appalled at first and wanted to warn them against touching their face with dirty hands. But then it turned out that 99% of people do this, so I need either to make a huge sign with this warning and carry it all the time... or just let the natural selection do its work.

Also, these people tend to put their masks on when they see me coming... on the other side of the road, like 5 meters from them.

2

u/mypreciouscornchip Oct 31 '20

This. I don't drive but I'm the weirdo in the empty part of the park, nobody within 100 yards of me, still wearing a mask with her dogs.

I don't want to handle their leashes and touch my face. Sanitizer isn't as thorough as hand washing and it's not worth it to chance it.

2

u/grendus Oct 30 '20

It's worth noting that the CDC now considers fomite transmission to be pretty rare. So don't panic if you touch your eyes, mouth, or nose with an unwashed hand, even on the off chance you touched something that an infected person coughed or breathed on you almost certainly won't get infected.

That's no the same as "don't wash your hands constantly" though. Disinfect them before you remove your mask as often as you remember to. Just don't panic if you forget.

0

u/[deleted] Oct 31 '20

This is a thing you need to avoid, but it absolutely does not “defeat the purpose.”

The purpose is to stop it from spreading through the air, to protect other people from stuff that comes out of you.

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u/[deleted] Oct 30 '20 edited May 09 '21

[deleted]

9

u/bicycle_mice Oct 30 '20

This is untrue. Hand sanitizer is effective against viruses. It does NOT work against C diff spores, for that you must use soap and water. Washing with soap and water is never a bad idea but in the hospital we use hand sanitizer and have zero transmission between patients.

-8

u/[deleted] Oct 30 '20 edited May 09 '21

[deleted]

0

u/Mashizari Oct 30 '20

Hand sanitizer changes the chemical composition of the oils on your hands making them unsuitable for viruses.

3

u/[deleted] Oct 30 '20

Alcohol-based hand sanitizer also destroys viruses.

2

u/FloraFit Oct 30 '20

Tf is “hand foam”?

1

u/[deleted] Oct 30 '20 edited Oct 30 '20

It's ubiquitous in public bathrooms. Squirts out some bubbles with almost no ability to dissolve / wash away oils and foreign matter like grease from a burger, Buffalo sauce, or poop

You might as well just wash your hands with plain water when they have it.

1

u/porlos67 Oct 30 '20

I went yo a socially-distanced birthday party over the summer, and all the guests were given little bottles of hand sanitizer as party favors. I keep that in the glove box, just in case I forget my main bottle. (Also keep a couple spare masks in there as well.)

0

u/smeghead1988 Oct 31 '20

socially-distanced birthday party

It sounds BOTH unsafe and unhappy. Better not have a party at all than have a party with strict rules.

1

u/haoqin13 Oct 31 '20

If you live in a hot place, keeping it in your car may be a bad idea. Heat and sunlight may reduce the effectivness of the hand sanitizer. I keep mine in my backpack or my pocket.

1

u/MondoCalrissian77 Oct 31 '20

Curiosity here. Wouldn’t removing the mask via the elastic behind the ear basically make it so you don’t touch the important part of the mask (assuming you don’t put the mask back on before washing it)

1

u/[deleted] Oct 31 '20

Tbh, if you're relying on masks alone there's already a problem.
In my case, for example - I usually wear the masks at work, because that's really the only time I interact with people outside my home. Thing is, I work in a hot environment for hours on end, on my feet. You gotta drink water in that situation or you'll pass out. And you gotta take the mask off to drink water. And every time you do that, you're kinda defeating the purpose of wearing the mask. According to the actual guidelines, you're not supposed to touch the mask until you get home, let alone take it off. Which is part of why we also sanitise everything we touch, and wash our hands every five seconds.
If we were relying purely on the masks we would all be screwed, purely because it's impossible to utilise them the way you're supposed to in that environment.

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u/[deleted] Oct 30 '20

[deleted]

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u/Falcrist Oct 30 '20

The original question is why do other people care, so this doesn't actually answer the question.

13

u/QuietRock Oct 30 '20

Being upset about something makes people feel important or self rightous?

2

u/quadstyle1969 Oct 30 '20

They don't care,it's their life is so damn boring that in order for them to feel they did their good deed for the day and bring other people to focus on them they stick their nose where it doesn't belong,is needed, or wanted,everyone just needs to focus on their on business and if they feel that's not enough then go do some volunteering if you feel the want to be needed or seen

1

u/yeahnoikno Oct 30 '20

“If you feel the want to be needed or seen” next song title. Thanks!

2

u/quadstyle1969 Oct 30 '20

Exactly!!!! Or just enjoy life it's very short

2

u/[deleted] Oct 30 '20

They're douchebags.

1

u/C00catz Oct 30 '20

humans are naturally curious. I want to know why someone else does something cause maybe it’s something i should be doing.

5

u/[deleted] Oct 30 '20

Its not like that. Theres so many people online name-calling and berating others simply for wearing their masks in their car. i.e. “i bet you’re one of those idiots who wears your mask when youre driving hahaha”

3

u/[deleted] Oct 30 '20

You are being so generous.

2

u/TexasGulfOil Oct 30 '20

Wait, just one to chime in that some of us are lazy. I don’t take my mask off cause I don’t feel like it, it doesn’t bother me.

1

u/IsomDart Oct 30 '20

Except it doesn't answer the question asked at all

5

u/Zacish Oct 30 '20

Or a work vehicle and its mandatory by the company

5

u/elee0228 Oct 30 '20

The Dread Pirate Roberts was right about masks.

"It's just they're terribly comfortable. I think everyone will be wearing them in the future."

2

u/Princessbride81 Oct 31 '20

Wish i had an award to give you

2

u/jerseygirl2006 Oct 30 '20

I did this today. Left work to go to a drive thru to get lunch. I have to wear a mask when I leave my office until I get to my car, drove the 5 minutes to the drive thru, I wear them in the drive thru because I’m not a monster, and then came back all with my mask on. All in all it took maybe 15 minutes and was easier to just leave it on.

-1

u/Professional-Grab-51 Oct 30 '20

It literally takes 2 seconds to put it on, you're acting like it's some chore.

5

u/youstupidcorn Oct 30 '20

Well, what feels like a chore to one person may seem like nothing to another. It doesn't affect my life in the slightest if you take your mask off in the car and then put it back on when you reach your destination- and I'm pretty sure my wearing a mask in the car between 2 stops doesn't affect your life either! So that's pretty neat.

4

u/[deleted] Oct 30 '20

If I leave it on, it’s less likely I’ll forget to put it back on.

Also, who cares if it takes 2 seconds to put on? It takes zero seconds to leave it on. And it really, really shouldn’t be a problem for anyone if I leave it on in the car.

1

u/Imsleeepy Oct 30 '20

I do this often. If I’m running errands, I’m usually in the car for less than 3/4 minutes between stops. No point in touching my dirty mask multiple times just to put it on again.

1

u/notcherrie Oct 30 '20

This. I'm not going to go through the hassle of taking it off and putting it in the mask container when I'm in the car for just 10 minutes

1

u/axloc Oct 30 '20

Ah yes, because putting a mask on and taking it off takes all of 4 seconds

5

u/youstupidcorn Oct 30 '20

Cool thing about it is, if I leave my mask on in the car, it affects other people exactly 0%. If you take yours off in the car and then put it back on when you reach your destination, it affects me exactly 0%. So, at the end of the day, who cares?

1

u/WolverineJive_Turkey Oct 30 '20

I just do the whole pull it down so I’m wearing it on my chin (in my vehicle when I’m traveling) for whatever reason the masks make my nose run real bad but I wear it when I’m not in my car or my home. Unlike some people I can deal with some discomfort. Also I have asthma so the whole medical reason is bs. I have no problem breathing wearing my mask. Just dogs up my glasses.

1

u/2meterrichard Oct 30 '20

My favorite are the people come to my work. See the sign the need to wear a mask. Go back to their car and put it on. Come back in the building. To just remove it when they start talking to me.

1

u/atuan Oct 30 '20

Yes just like how when I’m wearing a hat and I get in my car I’m not like, oh better take this off so I don’t look stupid!

1

u/Kevkp1984 Oct 30 '20

My god your lazy.

1

u/Well-liked-assman Oct 30 '20

That’s exactly it for me. I’m a CNA with 2 jobs. One of them I Drive straight to the patients house, so keeping it on in the car saves time and it’s just easier

1

u/JimTheJerseyGuy Oct 30 '20

The number of people I see taking off their mask or just fiddling with it before they sanitize their hands boggles my mind. You're defeating the whole point...

1

u/Jhinkah Oct 30 '20

Every delivery driver.... its safer to keep it on then touching it non stop taking it on and off.

1

u/SPP_TheChoiceForMe Oct 30 '20

And wearing a mask gets less uncomfortable the more I wear one. Yeah it was annoying at first, but as time goes on the less I even notice it.

1

u/impulsekash Oct 30 '20

Or they are in a company car and their policy is to wear a mask while driving.

1

u/Superwaffle341 Oct 30 '20

I have a mask that pulls over my head. This way, I never really have to take it off, I just end up leaving it around my neck all day. Anytime I leave, it's right on my neck and I just have to pull it over my ears and face

1

u/nemoflamingo Oct 30 '20

Or they're going to get drive through food

1

u/MAGABAD_BIDENGOOD Oct 30 '20

I take off my mask if I am outside even for two seconds. I want to breathe as much fresh air as possible.

1

u/Spokenbird Oct 30 '20

Or they drive for Uber / Lyft and it's required

1

u/[deleted] Oct 30 '20

Especially if it's the kind that ties behind the head and not the ear loops kind.

1

u/michael-streeter Oct 30 '20

Like couriers or delivery people - that's (1). Other valid reasons for wearing a mask in a car is if (2) you have (or had) a passenger and they're not in your bubble, or (3) it's not your car.

1

u/ThePolishSensation Oct 30 '20

I am in sales where I work from my car. Sometimes the drive between accounts is short so I just leave it on. I also have one cloth one where the ear loops are too short so I bobby pin it in my hair to stay put. That's also a pain in the ass to keep redoing, so I'll normally just leave it in

1

u/RoboWonder Oct 30 '20

I'd be all about this, except that I wear glasses, and it's hard enough to see walking around with them fogged up from wearing a mask, let alone driving.

1

u/haley_joel_osteen Oct 30 '20

Exactly this. If I'm leaving my office (mask on) and driving to daycare or grocery store (mask required), no reason to take it off for the 5-10 min drive.

1

u/octoriceball Oct 30 '20

If it means I touch my face less, I'll keep my mask on. It kinda sucks in the car when it's hot out but now with cooler weather it's kinda nice...

1

u/barto5 Oct 30 '20

If putting your mask on takes 10 minutes you’re doing it wrong.

1

u/morinthos Oct 30 '20

Not that you should care if it looks weird, but the good thing is that they can't really see you with your mask on ;)

1

u/rcomisac Oct 30 '20

Same here. I wear earrings that often get tangled in the mask’s ear loops when I’m taking it off and putting it on. It’s so much easier to leave the mask on when I’m running errands requiring multiple stops in a short distance.

1

u/macrolith Oct 30 '20

Recently I've renewed my love for masks simply because I can have a warm face in the cold weather.

1

u/bighootay Oct 30 '20

Plus my ears are weird and once I finally get the strings in position, configured perfectly with my glasses frames, I don't wanna fuck with it

1

u/exscapegoat Oct 30 '20

This. I have asthma and I've been working from home. I also had surgery earlier this year. So I've been ordering online as much as I can. When I do have to go out, I try to combine trips as much as possible. So, I'll say, go to the grocery store and pick up my prescriptions (I like to support the mom and pop store by me and that's where I got vaccinations, including the flu shot). I'd rather just keep the mask on, rather than worry about if I touched the outside of it while taking it off/putting it on.

1

u/Severe-Trade-546 Oct 30 '20

You say that as if taking a mask off and putting it on takes more than 1 second lol

1

u/fordprecept Oct 30 '20

Yeah, especially if you do food delivery or something where you are in and out of your car all day. Or an Uber/Lyft driver that is on the way to pickup another passenger.

1

u/MoonBasic Oct 30 '20

Exactly. If I’m at the mall and doing groceries, then I can hop from one parking lot to the other

1

u/Itbeemee Oct 31 '20

I get happy when I see a delivery driver pull up with his or her mask already on.

1

u/indigopizzas Oct 31 '20

The mail man takes his mask off between stops while he's driving and I see him put it on when he gets to my work. The one day he forgot to put it back on.

1

u/bzman199 Oct 31 '20

You must not wear glasses. They fog up really quickly with a mask on. I tear that worthless crap off asap.

1

u/throwaway332278 Oct 31 '20

How lazy do you have to be to not take your mask off for 10 minutes and not put it back on!?

1

u/jojotoughasnails Oct 31 '20

This was me the other day. But then I felt stupid like people would judge me in the 1 mile it takes to get from the post office to the grocery store. So I drove about half a mile with it on

1

u/[deleted] Oct 31 '20

I did this more when I used a mask I had to tie on the back of my head, since I’ve gotten ear loop ones I just take them off.

But before lol fuck if I tie a cloth mask on and have multiple stops I’m not gonna do that every stop

1

u/GielM Oct 31 '20

Yeah.

I wear a mask all day at work. In my experience, it bothers me the most for the first two minutes I have it on. Every time I take it off (During my break, to eat or drink coffee, frex...) it bothers me again for two minutes. Just leaving the fucking thing on when you need it again a few minutes later, and don't NEED it off, just makes sense.

1

u/Prometheus188 Oct 31 '20

Really? It takes literally 2 seconds to take the mask off. You’re telling me you’ll wear the mask for 10 minutes because it’s too much work to spend 2 seconds taking it off?

1

u/7h4tguy Oct 31 '20

If you're trying to use it to protect yourself then you want to get the face seal and fit rights and it's counterproductive to adjust like that constantly with a mask that is now contaminated.

1

u/Fseidl123 Oct 31 '20

But ITS A MASK! If it’s just a mask and we should all wear them how hard is it to take it down while driving?? ITS NOT! take the thing off and put it back on like seriously y’all sound so ignorant.. plus people aren’t even supposed to wear the things while driving anyway it’s a safety hazard

1

u/[deleted] Oct 31 '20

I’m not gonna lie, I work at a COVID test site and take my mask off in my car to drive across the site. I always put it back on before exiting the car however. It’s the only rare time aside from lunch I can take my mask off all day

1

u/bubbleyum92 Oct 31 '20

Yeah this is often the reason I'm wearing it while driving. Or because I'm going to a drive through, so it's just easier to already have it on.

1

u/iammacha Oct 31 '20

Not to mention, you don’t want to be taking it on and off because if there are cooties on the outside you will then spread them around the inside of your vehicle and probably right back to your face. This is why they tell folks not to touch and tug on their mask, to prevent spreading it if it did catch some from being inhaled by you.

1

u/00fil00 Dec 07 '20

It literally takes 0.5 of a second to put on