Introduction and Overview
Tens of thousands of lives have been lost globally in the last few decades due to car entrapment deaths. In this section we will analyze the threat of vehicle fires and provide advice on how to act in these emergencies.
Data from the United States reveals the importance of awareness about this threat to safety on the road:
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...
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