There appears to be a spike in the number of vehicle fires these days (Burning lorry in Lornie Road causes morning jam, Sept 6; and Cab catches fire in KPE tunnel, Aug 30).

Some of them involved private cars, others involved taxis or lorries. But they all caught fire while on the move on our streets, underground tunnels and expressways.

The majority of cars in Singapore are not more than 10 years old. With regular mandated inspections, these vehicles should be in relatively good condition.

I presume proper and timely maintenance would help reduce the chance of such occurrences.

Could an agency like the Singapore Civil Defence Force shed some light on the causes behind the recent incidents and if there is anything motorists can do to avoid this problem?

The information provided would be timely and help drivers and passengers, as well as other road users who could be inconvenienced or endangered by raging mobile infernos.

Andrew Ang