Car fires: Thousands occur each year in Canada. How to stay safe – National

Heroic efforts by 5 strangers, who acted within the nick of time, saved the lifetime of a Toronto man, pulling him out of a burning automotive on an Ontario freeway earlier this month.

The driving force suffered a seizure, inflicting him to crash his car off the Queen Elizabeth Freeway, however seconds earlier than the automotive was engulfed in flames, he was dragged out to security.

With extra folks on the highway as summer season journey picks up amid warmth warnings, consultants say Canadians can take steps to remain protected.

Transport Canada estimates there are roughly 10,000 car fires throughout the nation yearly due to arson, improper servicing or repairs, collisions and defects.

On common, 93 car fires per yr are reported which are alleged to narrate to a security defect, the company instructed International Information in an e-mail.

Collisions are the most typical trigger of car fires, adopted by manufacturing defects, arson and incorrect car modifications, stated Keith Fowler, a licensed car hearth investigator in Edmonton.

“Within the summertime, a variety of them are brought on by overloading the car … which causes the car to overheat in transmission and associated fires,” he instructed International Information.

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The upper the temperature, the higher the prospect of a car failure beginning a fireplace, Fowler stated.

Whereas winter presents its personal dangers with block heaters and collisions brought on by icy, slippery roads, the summer season warmth causes “further challenges” for drivers, stated Rob de Pruis, nationwide director of client and business relations for the Insurance coverage Bureau of Canada.

“Completely different seasons pose totally different circumstances,” he stated.

A current evaluation by AutoinsuranceEZ discovered that hybrid automobiles in america had been most probably to catch hearth per 100,000 gross sales, adopted by gasoline autos. Electrical autos ranked third, with solely 25 fires per 100,000 electrical car gross sales reported.

Two advanced programs within the hybrid setup, together with the gasoline tank, exhaust and warmth generated by the engine, enhance the hearth threat, defined Fowler, whereas EVs that run on batteries with electrical wiring should not as conducive to fireside hazards.

Nonetheless, EVs are able to sustaining combustion, which makes it tough to place fires out as they require hundreds of gallons of water, Fowler stated.

“In an electrical automotive, if the batteries are on hearth, it might take upwards of hours to extinguish the hearth and there’s additionally an opportunity that it’s going to reignite once more.”

Whereas automotive fires might look harmful, there may be often time to react.

Usually, the very first thing a driver will discover forward of a possible automotive hearth is a burning odor coming from contained in the car adopted by smoke, stated Fowler.

And oftentimes, he stated these preliminary warning indicators are flagged by different drivers passing by.

As quickly as there is a sign of smoke or odor, pull over, exit and transfer a minimum of 50 to 75 toes away from the car earlier than calling 911, Fowler stated.

“You’ll usually have plenty of time to get out of the car earlier than you’re including a threat of being broken from the car,” he added.

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Common upkeep and correct restore can assist lower the probability of automotive fires, consultants say.

“That’s actually one of many greatest issues that you are able to do to stop any sort of fireplace that might be occurring, whether or not or not you’re concerned in a collision,” stated de Pruis.

This yr, as of July 26, 400 motorcar security remembers have been issued within the nation and amongst these, 92 had been to handle the chance of fireplace, affecting 650,937 autos, in accordance with Transport Canada.

In 2021, 179 motorcar remembers had been associated to fireside dangers, involving 1,055,081 autos.

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Hyundai Auto Canada stated it actively displays and evaluates potential security issues, together with non-collision fires, with all of its autos.

“Out of an abundance of warning, Hyundai all the time emphasizes to our clients/homeowners if there’s a potential hearth threat in any recall even when there has not been a fireplace occasion,” the automaker instructed International Information in an e-mail.

Each de Pruis and Fowler confused staying updated with producer remembers and taking rapid motion when required.

As a result of the overwhelming majority of car collisions are brought on by human error, make sure you’re doing the whole lot you may to drive protected, de Pruis stated.