A regular visitor to the Arrive Alive road safety website shared the clip featured above of a fiery road accident. This illustrates the importance of abiding by the Rules of the Road and only crossing a road when it is safe to do so!
- More people die in vehicle fires than in apartment fires each year in the United States where nearly 1 out of 5 fires involve motor vehicles.
- U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 278,000 vehicle fires in the United States during 2006. These fires caused an estimated 490 civilian deaths and 1,200 civilian injuries.
- Of those fires, 75 percent were caused by bad maintenance, mechanical or electrical failures or malfunctions. Collisions or overturns caused only 3% of these fires but 57% of the associated deaths.
- Older teens and young adults are age groups at highest risk of highway vehicle fire death.
- One-third of non-fatal vehicle fire injuries occurred when civilians attempted to fight the fire themselves.
Also view:
Escape and Safety from Vehicle Fire