--- title: Study: Driving May Contribute to Left-Side Skin Cancers description: Is there anything that says summer in America like cruising with the windows low and the tunes on high? Too bad the activity may be... canonical: https://time.com/archive/7141231/study-driving-may-contribute-to-left-side-skin-cancers/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2011-06-21T09:00:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-16T10:57:58.910Z article:section: Health og:title: Study: Driving May Contribute to Left-Side Skin Cancers og:description: Is there anything that says summer in America like cruising with the windows low and the tunes on high? Too bad the activity may be... og:url: https://time.com/archive/7141231/study-driving-may-contribute-to-left-side-skin-cancers/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte5fb5cc528454b35/698a94689862f5392e89be38/armcancer.jpg?branch=production&width=307&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 307 og:image:height: 173 og:image:alt: armcancer og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Study: Driving May Contribute to Left-Side Skin Cancers twitter:description: Is there anything that says summer in America like cruising with the windows low and the tunes on high? Too bad the activity may be... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte5fb5cc528454b35/698a94689862f5392e89be38/armcancer.jpg?branch=production&width=307&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) # Study: Driving May Contribute to Left-Side Skin Cancers > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=a9882ca1-127d-41d9-b55b-569f74ae720b&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) Jun 21, 2011 9:00 AM UTC  Getty Images by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) Jun 21, 2011 9:00 AM UTC Is there anything that says summer in America like cruising with the windows low and the tunes on high? Too bad the activity may be a health hazard, according to a new [study](http://www.eblue.org/article/S0190-9622%2810%2900614-6/abstract) from researchers at the University of Washington, Seattle, studying skin cancer occurrence in the U.S.more Analyzing skin cancer cases in a federal database, the researchers found that when skin cancer occurred on one side of the body, it was more often the left side: 52% of [melanoma](http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/melanoma/DS00439) cases and 53% of [Merkel cell carcinoma](http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/merkel-cell-carcinoma/DS00802) cases — two particularly deadly types of skin cancer — occurred on the left side. On the upper arms, the part of the body most exposed to UV rays while driving with the window open, 55% of Merkel cell cases appeared on the left side. There’s been some past research to suggest a connection between sun exposure while driving and skin cancer. _USA Today_ [reported](http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/medical/cancer/story/2011/06/US-drivers-more-likely-to-develop-skin-cancers-on-left-arm/48414006/1): --- > “” --- The windows of a car typically block most UVB rays, the type that causes sunburn. But UVA rays, which contribute to skin aging and cancer, still get through and can cause damage over time. For most average drivers who drive for short periods with their windows up, the study says there probably isn’t a need for extra precautions. However, for those who spend a lot of time in vehicles, like truck drivers; those who are at higher risk of skin cancer; and those who tend to drive with the windows or top down, it may be wise to use sunscreen. The study did not differentiate between drivers who kept the windows up or down, or those who were more vulnerable to skin cancer, but it is the strongest evidence so far of a left-side bias in skin cancer in the U.S. The [study](http://www.eblue.org/article/S0190-9622%2810%2900614-6/abstract) was published online in April by the _Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology._ **MORE:** [FDA Toughens Rules for Sunscreen Labeling](http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/14/fda-announces-stricter-rules-for-sunscreen-labeling/) **MORE:** [Top Sunscreens Ranked](http://healthland.time.com/2011/05/24/top-sunscreens-ranked-by-two-consumer-health-groups/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7141231/study-driving-may-contribute-to-left-side-skin-cancers/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7141231/study-driving-may-contribute-to-left-side-skin-cancers/"},"headline":"Study: Driving May Contribute to Left-Side Skin Cancers","datePublished":"2011-06-21T09:00:02.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-16T10:57:58.910Z","description":"Is there anything that says summer in America like cruising with the windows low and the tunes on high? 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