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Fire extinguisher in passenger footwell


Buddy

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Bought last month a new Lexus at Al Futtaim, and was it delivered with a fire extinguisher mounted in the passenger footwell. Definitely aftermarket, and really obstructing your feet. Sales guy says its mandatory to have an fire extinguisher in the car, and ..... mounted in the footwell. Huh...

I know a fire extinguisher is mandatory to have in your car, but does it need to be in the passenger footwell? Anyone can confirm?

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Passengers footwell is probably the best place to keep it. If you have an accident, you can grab it easy and run. 

I don’t know how good of an idea making it compulsory is. If your car goes on fire, the natural reaction is to leave everything and run. Fire extinguishers left in a burning car tend to create quite an explosion. 

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Thanks for your comments.

I personally think the footwell is the worst place to keep it, especially from a saftey point of view. The moutings are not at all strong... the extinguisher, beinging heavy and seated in a flimsy holder, will slide or break out of the holder in the smallest accident... imagine it becoming a projectile in side impact accidents and turn overs. It can hurt you badly... The other thing is in the 30 years I drive, i never had to use an extinguisher... not even the oppertunity.... the boot is a good place too, correct?

 

 

Edited by Buddy
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Unless you are driving a rally car, a fire extinguisher can be placed in the boot.  In my 20 years of driving out of which 11 years in desert driving, I used my and three other cars extinguisher at once for a car caught fire in the desert when coolant leaked and guy still pushing the car.

Can you ask service advisor to move the bracket in the trunk or show you this new rule of "mandatory" explanation?

Let's root for each other & watch each other grow.

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The problem with having a fire extinguisher in the boot is that most accidents here are rear end. If you get hit hard enough, you won’t be able to open the boot to access it. 

I have needed one in the car once and I was very glad to have it. Used them in the garage a few times too.

Rally cars usually have 3 extinguishers. One hand held and 2 plumbed with pipes and nozzles. One plumbed for engine fires, pull the lever and it empties in the engine bay, the other one sprays on the driver and co drivers legs. 

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I I am hit that hard from the back, i probably would not be in a shape to handle a fire extinguisher anyway.... plus having it in the boot saves me from a potential projectile... 

i took it out, its in the boot now next to the spare tire. 

Passengers can sit now in my car without having there feet obstructed.... what was Al Futtaim thinking.... 

Edited by Buddy
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If a fire extinguisher is mounted properly, you shouldn't need to worry about it becoming a projectile. I've been upside down in cars more times than I care to remember, had a real bad accident where I got t boned too and the fire extinguisher has always stayed in place. Hopefully you relocated the bracket, not only the extinguisher. Stuff loose in the boot can easily become a projectile too. I know a guy in the U.K. Who had an accident. He had a small socket set in the boot. The socket set smashed through the parcel shelf, him in the back of the head and broke his neck. He was paralyzed for 6 months and had to go through 2 years of physiotherapy just to walk with a stick.

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Hi Barry, I am sorry to say that you are missing the point from my messages. I am the first one to say that projectiles in the car, at any accidents are a problem. Even a simple umbrella can cause injury if not restrained.

My initial question is, Is this a requirement as per UAE law to have it mounted in the passenger foot-well?

My 2 cents: Unless a fire extinguisher is professionally mounted with strong straps and several bolds to the chassis of the car, it will NOT be safe in a passenger footwell. It is not safe in the case with the mounting done by the dealer I bought the car from; 1 bold and a flimsy plastic bracket. Would you let your wife and child ride the car knowing this extinguisher could become a projectile wile in a crash???? I am sure this is the general quality of mounting done in the UAE.

Next is the question, do you really need it in the foot well? NO. If buying a 250K luxury car driven on a highway most of the time, it is very much questionable if my passengers have to step over the extinguisher, have it obstructing a comfortable seating experience each time they get in the car. I mean its a serious intrusion to comfort!!! Its just a joke. Its perfectly fine in the boot, provided its mounted professionally.

Ps, In my 30 years here in Dubai, more than 20 year I spend off-roading, and have been 3 time a marshal for the UAE dessert challenge and seen my share of roll overs and professional safety precautions. This is one of the reasons that I take safety very serious and do not allow potential projectiles in my cars. I cannot stand it that companies can get a way with delivery of half work; in this case the delivery of my car with a extinguisher in a foot well that is a potential danger in accidents.

Edited by edino0408
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