Wise After the Event
Page 32
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
TYRE fires are usually difficult to extinguish I and drivers require instruction in how to deal with them. If the driver of an articulated vehicle of British Road Services had known the best method of tackling one, the semi-trailer might not have caught fire and a county court judge would not have awarded damages against the British Transport Commission for the loss of goods.
The facts, as reported in The Commercial Motor last week, were that a punctured tyre caught fire. Strangely, it was the outer member of twin equipment on the near-side rear wheel of the semitrailer, although experience has shown that, in nearly all cases of tyre fires, the inner cover ignites. Tyre fires are most likely to occur on vehicles with twin tyres. and particularly on semitrailers, because a puncture—the usual cause— will not have a noticeable effect on steering.
The driver said that he tested the tyres by kicking them before beginning his journey and again en route. The plaintiffs argued that this form of test was iriedaquate and that the driver should have been provided with a tyre gauge. They were asking too much, but it is reasonable to expect that a gauge would be used before the trip was started. ,A hammer bar should be sufficient to check pressures during a long journey and its use is, in fact, recommended by the Ministry of Transport. Tyres do not normally catch fire while a vehicle is running and in the case in question it seems that flames did not appear until the driver stopped. He tried to quell the fire with an extinguisher and with earth, but when he was unable to do so, he uncoupled the semi-trailer and drove off to call the fire brigade.
There he made an error. If he had continued to run steadily to the fire station, it is probable that the semi-trailer would not have caught fire. and the tyre could have been treated expertly by the fire brigade. In the absence of any specialized instruction, however, the driver undoubtedly did what he thought was best.
The judge held that the Commission had not exercised reasonable care by providing better fire protection. The Ministry of Transport has suggested that two fire extinguishers should be carried, one to be kept in reserve for repeat outbreaks on tyres which are apparently extinguished, but most operators would regard one as sufficient. Apparently the judge did not.
Prevention is, however, better than cure. The possibility of tyre fires will be reduced to a minimum if brakes are kept properly adjusted, old tyres are renewed and pressures are checked frequently. These simple precautions will also have a marked effect in keeping down operating costs.