I am quite certain that readers of this blog must surely have read the case whereby two petrol attendants of a BP station whose decision to disallow fire extinguishers from their station to be borrowed finally resulted in the loss of a young girl’s life.

Hardly two or 3 days after the above tragic incident occurred, a similar incident took place. While taking my wife to her dancing class one evening, she inquired of me why so many cars seem to be breaking out into fire these days.

Incidents such as these, in which cars of today so easily catch fire and burst out into flames, makes us wonder and ask “Is there a reason for such unwarranted incidents happening today?”

In this article, I am attempting to concentrate on the reason why cars of today seem to be proned to catching fire so easily. And if possible, the article will also provide a few ways and means drivers can take to prevent such things from happening.

First and foremost, every time I read about cases of cars catching fire, I’m reminded of my late father, a lorry driver during the time of the Japanese occupation period, his lorry overturned and burst into flames.

My father was pinned under his 7 ton Bedford lorry. He suffered major burns to his entire body and remained in hospital for months. The above incident left serious burn marks on his arms and legs. He was indeed very lucky to be alive.

In the second incident involving a vehicle which caught fire, the Star newspaper dated 7th June 2010 reported “Siblings die in toll plaza crash”. In the above incident, 2 brothers and a sister were reported to have been burnt to death after their vehicle hit a retaining wall at a toll plaza near Butterworth.

Why are today’s cars so susceptible to break out into flames as compared to vehicles of yesteryears?

I have been driving for more than 40 years and can only make assumptions based upon my vast experience. Amongst some of the causes for a vehicle to be able to burst out into flames are:

1) Car batteries nowadays seldom covered up with rubber mattings.

Compared to former times, where a good mechanic covers up battery terminals of a vehicle, mechanics of today, unfortunately fail to do this.

Batteries, I observe, are only simply fitted into the engine compartment most of the time. This allows batteries to be easily ignited should an accident occur. I am not implying that all mechanics are guilty of such reckless performance of their duty, but it cannot be denied, some mechanics are at fault.

2) Many vehicles do not have fire extinguishers.

Two brothers, friends of mine, and attached formerly to the Fire Department at Sungai Pinang, Klang, Aziz Torji and Tahir Torzi, used to advise me that it takes only but 3 minutes for a fire to fully engulfed and destroy a car.

Think about what I am saying. I’m certain that you from hence will rush to the nearest accessory shop to secure your portable fire extinguisher.

3) The question of fuel and its dangers.

The public as a whole should be taught the dangers of fuel in cars. Vehicles today are fueled with petrol, diesel and of late, Liquefied Petrol Gas (LPG). The octane of our gas used in our cars has gone up. I am not an expert on such chemical things, but it is possible that the fuel used on our vehicles are far more combustible then fuel used in the yesteryears.

LPG, which is normally used for cooking purposes seem very likely to burst into flames fairly easily. The more so for drivers of today’s LPG or NGV powered vehicles to have fire extinguishers in their vehicles.

4) Strict precautions should be adhered to by drivers when filling up at petrol stations.

Young people below the age of 12 are not allowed to fill up petrol for their parents’ vehicles. Neither are you allowed to continue smoking while you fill up petrol for your vehicles. Hand phones should not be used while filling up petrol for your cars.

Most petrol stations, I observed, have fire extinguishers placed beside petrol pumps. The fire extinguishers are easily available in case of emergency fires. Of course, do not expect petrol station owners and workers not take these fire extinguishers into their premises for safe keeping when the station closes for the day.

And in an eventuality or when a fire should break out during an accident, do not blame the station authorities should they refuse to lend you the equipment that you need. After all, they are not responsible to fend for your safety.

5) Commercial vehicles not having fire extinguishers.

In Malaysia, the law demands that it is mandatory for all commercial vehicles to have fire extinguishers. A driver of such vehicles, if stopped by the police or J.P.J. officers will obviously be summoned for failure to have such equipment.

But as I said although there is a law for it, unfortunately the enforcement of these laws seems to be lacking leading to unfortunate incidents taking place. Florina Joseph, 27, a college student from Sarawak who was burnt to death when her car burnt into flames in a 3 am fire along Jalan Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, would be alive today if only fire extinguishers were available in her car that night.

6) No fire extinguishers in private cars.

Authorities should make it compulsory for all vehicles to possess fire extinguishers before the issuance of road taxes. If, according to the Road Transport Act 1987, it is mandatory to have at least 3rd party insurance before a driver can obtain a vehicle road tax.

Why is it so difficult for the Road Transport Department to make it compulsory for vehicle owners to bring along a fire extinguisher to the JPJ upon renewal of their vehicles’ road taxes?

Such actions, I believe would at least be able to save some valuable lives in the future. But some may tend to argue that it is inconvenient. But think about it carefully. This idea suggested in reality may save a lot of lives eventually.

The authorities should contemplate about is seriously!

As singer Elvis Presley said, “It’s now or never!” Implement this requirement immediately. Make possession of fire extinguishers in vehicles mandatory.

However, the introduction of such a law has to be implemented strictly. It would be of no purpose if those responsible for legislating this law, namely the police are incapable of carrying out their duties truthfully. In the end, good laws will become useless. It will be the public who will suffer eventually.

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A few months ago, Toyota Motors recalled vehicles for roll over symptoms on its luxury model Lexus SUV GX460.

It has been reported in Tokyo, Toyota Motors will soon be recalling a total of 270,000 vehicles worldwide because of an engine fault. Its luxury cars, Lexus and Crown are reported to be among those to be recalled. This would indeed be a blow to Toyota’s renowned reputation the world over.

What seems to be affecting Toyota cars this time around? According to Toyota sources, faulty springs in certain engines are reported to possibly lead to affected vehicles stopping while the vehicle is in operation.

Toyota intends to make recalls after submitting recall notice to the Japanese Transport Ministry soon. A total of some 90,000 units in Japan alone and 180,000 overseas are expected to be recalled in the current exercise.

According to a Toyota spokesperson, Mr. Ririko Takeuchi, the automaker giant is set to recall overseas vehicles according to each individual country’s regulations. Details for the above recall would only be made at a later stage.

Defective parts in the valve springs can result in creating abnormal noise or when the engine is idling. In a worst scenario, the engine could even stop, said spokesperson, Takeuchi.

If readers remember well, Toyota Motors have been faced with a few recalls worldwide since a few months ago. Toyota’s latest announcement comes after criticisms were made against the carmaker over its previous recalls in the United States which have been said to have caused numerous deaths.

The company’s latest problem, the defective 4.6 litre V8 and 3.5 litre V6 engines have been installed in 8 of its models including hybrid ones. Models such as Lexus GS350, GS450h, GS460, IS350, LS460, IS600h and IS600hL and some Crown series as well.

However, the automaker has said that it has yet to receive any reports pertaining to accidents or injuries related to the said issue.

The latest recall will obviously affect Toyota’s worldwide reputation as a whole as it affects its Lexus brand, which incidentally is a luxury class by itself.

The recalls have caused some damage to Toyota’s image. It has happened to Toyota’s most luxurious models and customer’s confidence in the company would certainly have been shaken.

A boy, Danial Gabrail Abdullah, who will turn 5 in December, suffered serious injuries in an accident in Saujana Puchong, Selangor on Saturday. Danial was reported to have suffered a cracked skull, internal brain hemorrhage and a broken ankle.

I am not surprised that many drivers nowadays, especially new and, young and those who have very recently achieved their P license, may not be aware of how fast they should drive while they are in town areas.

Just recently, I had just crossed a traffic light and was about to turn right into a lane when a motorcyclist laden with vegetables and other assorted marketing sundries overtook me in a dangerous manner. The said motorcyclist was speeding away excessively.

What made me wonder was, was it necessary for the motorist to be traveling away at such a speed, especially when we were in fact in a town center?

Inexperienced drivers nowadays, hold the view that possessing a driving license is the gateway to much pleasure. With a driving license, many feel that they can go to parties, discos and cinemas. Many are unaware that they should in fact be careful as a driving license can sometimes lead us into a lot of problems and miseries.

A Sani Express bus driver from Perak is currently awaiting court process after 18 of his passengers died in a road accident a few months ago.

A student, whom I taught driving, is today awaiting to be charged under Section 41 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for having involved in an accident. The driver who knocked into him at a junction unfortunately died.

The boy above has had his license banned temporarily. If found to be guilty by the courts, it is possible that the driver might face a mandatory prison sentence of 2 to 10 years.

The question which I am attempting to address today is whether drivers of today are aware that in reality, there is in fact a speed limit for driving in town areas.

First of all, school areas have a speed limit of 30 km/h. Drivers are advised to keep to a speed limit designated above.

In the 1960s, when I took up driving lessons, my instructor, Mr. Tew Hock Lai, used to remind me that while driving in town areas, drivers should stick to a speed limit of 50 km/h.

When asked, what is meant by town areas, Mr. Tew explained, “town areas” are in fact areas a radius of 5 miles from the centre of the town. The centre of most town is usually the police station.

Therefore a driver who exceeds a speed of 50 km/h in towns, is in fact violating a law which is in fact speeding.

In the unfortunate accident, whereby Danial Gabrial Abdullah was involved, it was reported that the speeding vehicle with the words Police Bantuan slammed into the 5 year old boy.

In fact, being in a housing area, the above vehicle should not have been traveling so fast. The driver was in fact, speeding.

The second offense committed by the van driver was not stopping after the accident happened. The law requires that a driver stop and offer whatever help necessary to the victims of an accident. In the above incident, the driver was said to have not stopped but drove away instead.

However, according to the boy’s mother, Puan Nor Saliha, the driver however returned to the scene of the incident a few minutes later.

The driver of the said van, in causing the accident was driving a vehicle which exceeded the speed limit allowed. This infringes Section 41 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.

According to the above section of the R.T.O. 1987, a driver can be fined to a tune of RM1000. A driver can have his license endorsed. His license can even be suspended for a period of 1 month.

Should a victim die, a driver can then be charged under Section 41 of the R.T.O. 1987. Besides this, a driver faces a 2 – 10 years mandatory jail sentence. Further, his license can be suspended from the date of the court case until the court decides on imprisonment later on.

A driver should stop and provide assistance to the injured. A driver should ideally send the injured victims to the nearest clinic or hospital. A police report should also be made to the nearest police station regarding the accident within 24 hours.

As usual, the driver should also make it a point to report or inform his insurance company pertaining to the accident. Failure to do this may result in the insurance company disclaiming liability.

Can such unfortunate accidents similar to the one above which befelled Danial Gabrial Abdullah be prevented?

Most housing estates today are rather busy areas.

Parents and guardians should make it a point that small children should not be allowed to wander about into these busy thoroughfares or play along busy road.

Local council authorities should set up playground and fields in all housing estates for the use of children. Basketball and badminton courts should also be built. All these augurs well for the safety of our children.

To prevent drivers and motorcyclists from speeding, more road bumps or speed breakers should be constructed in housing areas. All these may cause inconvenience to road users, but the safety and welfare of our children is more important than anything else.

We hope that the 5 years old boy, who is currently warded at the Subang Jaya hospital will recover soon and will be allowed to go home shortly. To all drivers, let this article be an advice to you. Try not to speed, especially when you are in the vicinity of town areas.

Remember, that in the vicinity of towns, the maximum speed limit permitted is 50 km/h. School areas, as you know is only 30 km/h.