classic, not plastic, for safety - especially in bushfires

[OzBenzHead]

While reading a report on bushfires in today's newspaper, I saw a comment by the Australasian Fire Authorities Council (AFAC) to the effect that modern cars are less safe in fire situations, largely because they are built more of plastics than of non-flammable / non-meltable materials.

There was particular mention made of plastic door handles as a hazard.

Here is an extract from the AFAC publication "Guidelines for people in cars during bushfires" (January 2008 update) (Link) [emphases mine]:

Different car types

Car manufacturers increasingly substitute plastic for steel on the bodywork of cars. Plastic bumpers, grills [sic], wing mirrors and other exterior components are likely to ignite more easily than the steel parts used on older model cars. The flammability of synthetic materials used inside the car may also limit the time a person can shelter inside the car (Sargeant et al., 2007). In addition, the use of synthetic materials such as polyurethanes in automotive manufacture brings an increased risk of exposure to toxic fumes inside the car which may render it uninhabitable before it is safe to leave (Mangan, 1997: 21). There may also be longer-term health implications, for example the exposure to carcinogens.

Other materials that are replacing steel in the manufacture of cars include aluminium, fibreglass and composite materials. All three provide less protection from the intense radiant heat and flame contact than older steel chassis cars. These materials are often used in high performance cars and may well contribute to their destruction by fire. Two further categories of vehicles that do not provide adequate protection in a fire are soft top cars and motorcycles.

A further trend in some newer models of car is the increased size of windows. The danger this presents is that a larger surface area of glass in the car increases the radiant heat exposure to the passengers (Paix, 1999: 1).

Here is similar advice from the NSW Rural Fire Service in conjunction with the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre and CSIRO (Link) [emphases mine]:

Thermoplastic body parts and the structural design features of different vehicles contributed to the varied performance of cars in burnover conditions with the more recent models performing worst.

So quite apart from the fact of plastic cars crumpling more on impact, there is this issue of fireworthiness.

I'll stick with my old-fashioned metal handles, thanks.

Classic - NOT plastic!

[CraigS]

Maybe there is an argument for a reduction in a reduction in registration costs due to the lower total cost to the government, fire fighting costs included, should there be a bush fire outbreak !