According to a new survey, 2 million Swedes want to ban drivers from washing their own cars by hand. 9 out of 10 think it should cost a fine.
It's nothing new that more Swedes want to ban drivers from washing their cars by hand. But now a new study is cementing that wish.
This is what Sustainable Car Wash writes in a press release .
– Today, there is neither legislation nor punishment against washing the car at home, but our research shows that the will exists in the country.
– We have previously been unsure whether legislation is the right way to go, but have now decided to pursue the issue, says Robert Dimmlich, initiator of Sustainable Car Wash and CEO of the Swedish Service Station Organization.
According to the survey, the desire for punishment is highest in medium-sized towns and cities. Here, a full 24 percent, almost one in four, want to punish drivers who wash their cars by hand.
Robert Dimmlich is also not entirely right when he says that there is no legislation prohibiting Swedes from washing their cars at home.
In several local areas of the country, municipalities have introduced a ban on hand washing the car unless it is done in places with the right filtration conditions.
The fine is 10,000 Swedish kronor, equivalent to just under 7,000 Danish kronor. In Denmark, the drivers' association FDM also does not believe that drivers should wash their cars themselves.
And if it does happen anyway, drivers should limit this to somewhere between 2 and 4 times a year. FDM, on the other hand, recommends that drivers drive to a car wash and choose the cheapest wash.
Here in Denmark, the Danish Social Liberal Party has been arguing since 2015 that washing cars by hand should be banned. At least the party's environmental spokesperson, who was then called Lone Loklindt, said that such a ban makes good sense.
– I actually already thought it was illegal, said former member of parliament and environmentalist Lone Loklindt at the time.
Back in Sweden, two million people wanting to ban hand-washing cars may sound outrageous. But the majority – a full 53 percent – still say that drivers should be allowed to wash their own cars.
