Car Fires

215 words.

This is completely off-topic, but on the traffic report this morning I heard about another “car fire” slowing down traffic in the Richmond area. As it turned out, when I drove past the affected area, there was no fiery car to be found and traffic was completely normal, but that’s not the point here. Actually, it’s part of the point. Is this some elaborate hoax that the traffic reporters are playing? Because I’ve never actually seen a “car fire” despite the fact that I hear about them on the radio literally all the time. How exactly does a car catch on fire anyway? Are cars really prone to bursting into flames that much? Am I safe because I drive a truck? Is there something I should be doing to prevent a fire? Should there be some kind of safety warning on these cars, like the warnings about side effects on prescription drugs? (“Call your car dealer if you experience side effects like sudden painful immolation during your morning commute.”) This is just one more reason that I think driving back and forth to work every day is more dangerous than serving in Iraq and more worrisome than global terrorism.

Thomas Krehbiel writes The Krehbiel Strikes Back, a moderate commentary on news, media, politics, and culture.

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