Preventing car fires and explosions: Car owners are indifferent, authorities are not taking strong action

(Baonghean) -The situation of car fires and explosions is really worrying when car owners do not pay attention to fire prevention and fighting, and authorities have not taken drastic measures to prevent and punish.

Continuous fire and explosion

At 2:00 a.m. on October 31, 2016, a 24-seat passenger van with license plate 37B - 005.80 owned by Mr. Ho Van Nghia (Quynh Thuan commune, Quynh Luu) was parked in front of his house when it caught fire. Immediately afterwards, the car owner and local residents quickly used available fire fighting equipment to put out the fire. However, due to the intense fire, after more than 2 hours, the van was completely burned, leaving only the iron frame.

The 24-seat passenger bus of Mr. Ho Van Nghia (Quynh Luu district) was burned to the frame on October 31, 2016. Photo: Phuong Thao

Two months later, on December 13, 2016, on National Highway 48, through Tam Hop Commune (Quy Hop), another fire broke out in a truck with license plate 37C-11846 driven by Quan Vi Anh (born in 1985). The incident occurred at 4:27 a.m. and was in a mountainous area, so firefighting was difficult; estimated damage was over 200 million VND.

Or most recently, on January 3, 2017, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tung was driving a truck on the Vinh City bypass when smoke appeared in the cabin, and just a few seconds later, flames were rising. Although he was lucky to escape, the fire caused Mr. Tung nearly 100 million VND in damage because the front of the truck was burned down.

According to statistics from the Fire Prevention and Fighting Police of Nghe An province, from December 21, 2015 to February 15, 2017 alone, there were 15 car fires and explosions in the province, causing property damage of about 1,576 billion VND. After investigation, the authorities determined that 13 cases were caused by electrical system short circuits in the vehicle, 1 fire occurred after a traffic accident, and 1 case was caused by negligence in the use of heat sources.

Mr. Nguyen Quy Khanh - Director of Nghe An Motor Vehicle Inspection Center said that when many cars were put into use, the car owners arbitrarily modified and installed additional electrical equipment that was not in accordance with the manufacturer's design such as televisions, mini refrigerators, wifi transmitters, power outlets for passengers to charge their phones... Some cars also installed eye-catching electronic signs on the front windshield of the car showing the route, the name of the car company...

Checking technical safety of cars at Nghe An Motor Vehicle Inspection Center. Photo: Phuong Thao

In addition, many cars are also equipped with LED lights running along both sides of the car for decoration. These "extra" devices, although useful to users, pose a risk of short circuit and fire in the electrical system. However, not all car owners are aware of this danger.

Mr. Nguyen Quy Khanh added that on average, each year, the Nghe An Motor Vehicle Inspection Center conducts inspections of about 30,000 cars, of which only about 80% are inspected to meet technical safety requirements for operation. However, among the vehicles that meet the requirements, not all are safe when traveling on the road. Because, before bringing the vehicle to the center for inspection, the vehicle owners remove the additional equipment and return it to its original state to "trick" the authorities.

Car owner is lazy, poor management

When asked about the harmful effects of connecting additional devices to the vehicle, the vehicle owners all said that it did not affect the safety of the vehicle. It is the subjectivity of many passenger vehicle owners that has increased the risk of unsafe fire and explosion. And especially for sleeper buses carrying a large number of passengers, when an incident occurs, the consequences will be very serious.

Mr. Nguyen Van Trung - owner of a sleeper bus running the Vinh - Hanoi route said: "Although these devices can cause electrical short circuits, while other buses have them and my bus does not, to meet the needs of passengers, I cannot compete for business."

Although the causes of car fires and explosions are well understood, vehicle owners are still not interested in proactive prevention. In addition, the inspection, control and punishment when detected by the authorities are not enough of a deterrent.

When asked about this issue by the Traffic Inspectorate, a Traffic Inspectorate officer from the Nghe An Department of Transport said that so far, no cases of using or installing equipment that does not meet vehicle technical standards have been penalized. The inspectorate has checked but when discovered, it only stops at the level of warning.

Nghe An Motor Vehicle Inspection checks the brake system of a truck. Photo: PT

Currently, the number of people's cars is increasing. Up to now, there are 91,000 registered cars in Nghe An. This poses an urgent need for preventing and fighting car fires and explosions, ensuring the safety of people's lives and property. Therefore, first of all, the vehicle owners themselves must raise their awareness of law enforcement, understand the vehicle to use it properly.

Colonel Vu Ngoc Due - Chief of Staff, Nghe An Province Fire Prevention and Fighting Police recommends that vehicle owners should regularly maintain and detect early abnormalities of the vehicle; absolutely do not arbitrarily assemble the vehicle interior contrary to the design. In addition, when leaving the vehicle, turn off the engine, check the power sources and be equipped with a portable fire extinguisher to promptly handle fire and explosion incidents.

Phuong Thao