Multiple news agencies have indicated that the limo fire that caught the attention of the nation and is now under investigation may have been caused due to a lack of inspections carried out by state agencies since smaller California limos are not required to go under the same type of inspection larger limos go through.
The reports indicate that the incident that took place on the San Mateo Bridge killed five women. The limo that caught fire was not required to undergo a state safety inspection prior to its use. It was also not required to carry a fire extinguisher. The regulations that were drawn to maintain limo drivers and passengers safe in California, small limos like the one involved in the incident are usually modified 1999 Lincoln Town Cars. These vehicles are usually cut in half, which forces the fuel and electrical lines to be severed and rebuilt in order to offer more space. Usually, these limos carry fewer than 10 people and when that’s the case, the state doe not require these vehicles to be routinely inspected for safety.
Larger limos are required to be inspected for safety every 13 months. These regulations also apply to airport shuttles and other larger vehicles such as buses.
At this moment, lawmakers are hoping to push for tougher regulations in order to avoid accidents such as the one in California that claimed five lives.
A lawmaker is hoping to close the loophole in order to make sure that even small limos are inspected. The issue with the lack of fire extinguishers is also being addressed. According to the reports, a bill is being introduced to make limos of all sizes, including the smaller ones, required to carry a fire extinguisher at all times.
Some experts investigating this incident and how the vehicle may have engulfed in flames have indicated that radical modifications to the vehicle’s wiring could add stress to several important systems like electrical wiring and fuel lines. Presently, the Public Utilities Commission does not have any regulations concerning the building of stretch limousines from modified standard vehicles. The vehicle involved in the Saturday incident that claimed the lives of 5 women was owned by a company that never received any complaints in the past. The driver reported that when he heard the passengers screaming about a fire he didn’t smell gas and because of that, he thinks that the problem that led to a fire was electrical.
The vehicle was carrying nine passengers, which is one passenger more than what the vehicle was licensed to carry.
According to most news sources covering this incident, statistics involving limo fires are not easy to come by especially because limo fires are rare. The reports also show that the state is not aware of how many limos are standard vehicles that were stretched and modified.
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