It’s that time of the year when many Americans are using fireworks to celebrate, even after Independence Day. While seeing stuff shoot up in the air and explode sure is a lot of fun, the sad truth is there’s some risk to using fireworks. But what most people don’t think about is there’s a risk to driving around with a bunch of fireworks in your car.
Man shoots carjacker who then kills him.
On the night of July 7, an unidentified driver was traveling at high speeds in St. Paul, Minnesota. The driver lost control, the car hitting a tree and light pole. In any situation that would make for a bad night.
But things took a turn for the worse when the car caught fire, igniting a number of fireworks inside. Police say those fireworks going off made it difficult for Good Samaritans to help the driver out of the vehicle.
Unfortunately, the driver passed away.
We’ve seen similar accidents in the past and it makes us wonder just how many fireworks were in this and other vehicles where the crash ended in a fatality. Since that’s not stated in the report, we’re guessing it wasn’t just a few but instead a good stash if not a ridiculous amount.
According to Consumer Reports, you should put any fireworks in a spark-proof container and place that in your vehicle’s trunk or a pickup bed. That at least keeps the fireworks out of the passenger compartment and minimizes risk in a crash.
Another thing worth noting is the advice to not leave your stash of fireworks in direct sunlight or sitting in a hot car while you’re not actively driving. We imagine if they get hot enough just one could ignite, starting a violent chain reaction.
So go ahead and celebrate with fireworks this summer, just do so legally and responsibly.
Source: StarTribune
Image via rovenimages.com/Pexels
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