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Respond Safely to a Fire in Your Vehicle
A fire in your car, truck or recreational vehicle can be a frightening experience, says Kathy Konicki, director of safety for Nationwide Insurance. "It can quickly escalate and cause great personal danger to passengers and bystanders if you don’t know what to do," she says.
Here are some motor vehicle fire guidelines from the National Safety Council:
While you are moving on a roadway:
- Signal your intention to move to the right lane.
- Get onto the shoulder or breakdown lane.
- Stop immediately.
- Shut off the engine.
- Get everyone out of the vehicle.
- Get far away from the vehicle and stay away from it in a safe place.
- Keep onlookers and others away from the vehicle.
- Warn oncoming traffic.
- Notify the fire department.
While the vehicle is stopped in traffic or parked:
- Shut off the engine.
- Get far away from the vehicle.
- Warn pedestrians and other vehicles to stay away.
- Notify the fire department.
"Under no circumstance should you try to put out the fire yourself," Konicki says. "The danger is, of course, the possibility that the fuel in the gas tank might catch fire or explode."
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