Britt Jones
TikTok users think they've worked out what the handle above the doors on cars are for, but it turns out they're way off the mark.
If you’ve ever been the passenger of someone who thinks they are driving in a drag race, you’ll know that the handle by the window is the first thing to grab.
But what you probably didn’t know is that there’s a ‘proper’ use for the pull-down handle.
When a TikTok video claimed to have all the answers, it left drivers gobsmacked.
Jess, otherwise known as @jmac8781 on TikTok posted a clip which racked up over 1 million views and thousands of comments about this little 'car hack'.
Advert
In a duet to another video which showed a person pulling down the handle and it immediately flipping back up, it demonstrated a handy clip which holds it in place.
In the video - filmed during Covid times when we were masked up and avoided touching any surfaces - Jess was understandably dumbfounded and quickly rushed to her own car to see whether or not her car handles did the same thing.
When Jess’s car passed the test, it left many in the comments believing that the hack was in fact true and that the purpose for the handle was perhaps to hang clothes on.
One person said: "The things TikTok teaches me knows no bounds."
Advert
Another commented: "TikTok made us a little smarter everyday."
A third wrote: "Why don’t these things come with instructions!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhh my life!!!!"
Someone else joked: “I’m so disappointed! I ran outside to check if my car has it, and sadly, I don’t have a car.
Advert
"I’m waiting for Uber now, to see if that car will have it.”
But that's not the case.
The proper use for the car handle isn't for hanging things at all.
It's actually to help people climb in and out of the vehicle.
Advert
In 1997, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram stated that the reason for a car's handles was 'to help passengers get in and out' of the vehicle, which is particularly helpful for the elderly or those with mobility issues.
So, the many theories regarding what uses a grab handle could have aren't all that true.
But they do make for funny videos.
A little word to the wise - if you do attempt to use the handle to hang up shirts so they don't crease, it could land you with a fine for obstructing your view while driving.
It's probably better to just use it as an aid to get into the car.