MANY have expressed outrage over the fiery death of a woman in her car after petrol kiosk attendants refused to lend fire extinguishers to save her. The dreadful incident happened after an accident involving the woman’s Perodua Myvi, a Toyota Vios and a lorry on a flyover along Jalan Cheras near Jalan Loke Yew.
It’s very unfortunate that the woman had to die when her car was engulfed in flames.
Many people were around but nobody could save her.
An issue that has to be highlighted here is carrying fire extinguishers in vehicles.
This is not seriously adhered to by most motorists.
In developed countries, all new vehicles come with a mini fire extinguisher and motorists have to keep them in working condition. They are periodically checked by the authorities, and in some countries not carrying a fire extinguisher in a vehicle is an offence.
When buildings and houses can have fire extinguishers, why can’t it be a law for all motorists to have a fire extinguisher in their vehicle?
Vehicles carry fuel which is highly combustible and can catch fire especially when there is a great impact to it in an accident. The chance of a vehicle catching fire is far greater than that of a building.
When this incident happened there were many vehicles around.
If all the motorists had fire extinguishers in their vehicles, they could have easily helped douse the fire and saved her.Many motorists have met this kind of fate on our roads. Many lives were lost due to this kind of mishap.
The point is, are our locally- assembled cars safe enough to drive or speed?
Have the cars gone through adequate and thorough accident-impact tests before they are approved to be used on the road?
This is food for thought for the authorities. Vehicles have to undergo strict safety tests before they can be used on the road.
DR M.A. NAIR,
Kuantan.
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