Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire - A survey of 1000 customers with children conducted recently by Volkswagen subsidiary Skoda show makes for some interesting reading and would probably strike a chord with many local motorists.
The survey showed that 31 percent of British parents used their company car for weekend family outings and more than half of those admitted they were embarrassed by the state of their car after the weekend. In fact, 21 percent said they made a point of cleaning out their car before going to work on Monday.
And they have reason to be; as you'd expect, the most common reminders of their childrens' tenancy of the back seat are food wrappers (66 percent), crumbs (60 percent) and mud (51 percent).
But among the cuddly toys forgotten in the rush to be first to the toilet after a drive are other, weirder and more wonderful surprises.
Respondents to the survey mentioned finding cheese graters, bird skulls, dead mice and frogs, live goldfish, jellyfish, pet hamsters, pieces of coal, teeth, caterpillars, horse manure in a bag, TV remotes, worms, a week-old hamburger and a wet sponge.
Simply Clever
One respondent to the Skoda study even told how her son wrote 'homeless' on the back of her seat with a permanent marker.
"Not sure how to take that!" she commented.
No wonder one in five British parents feels it incumbent upon them to clean out their car before going to work on every Monday morning - especially if it's a company car!
We can't help wondering what the company cars of local parents look like after a typical South African weekend of sunny skies and outdoor cooking.