While keeping a water bottle in your car to stay hydrated on the road during long journeys or traffic jams is always a good thing, you might want to make sure you keep it in a secure car compartment. You might be putting your life at risk, and the lives of other road users at risk otherwise.
Recently, PDRM took to a Facebook page known as Polis Daerah Pendang, to share why leaving a water bottle in your car could possibly be a road hazard.
“People like to put their water bottles below the driver’s or passenger’s seat when they’re on the road but this is a very dangerous practice. If you lose control of your car, the bottle (whether it’s a 250ml one or a 1.5 liter one) can roll out and get stuck behind the car’s accelerator or brake pedal.”
“[When this happens], it won’t matter how hard you press the pedal, it won’t work because you’ll need to apply a lot of pressure on the pedal to get it to function with the blockage.”
The post went on to explain that even if certain drivers managed to press their brakes hard enough to get them to function, the delayed reaction wouldn’t be enough to prevent an accident as it only takes a few seconds for a collision to occur.
“Many car models have cup holders. While not all cars are equipped with these compartments, the ones that do have them are not used for its intended purpose. People often use their cup holders to put other things like coins, combs, cards or other junk. This kind of ‘don’t care’ attitude could cost someone their life.”
The post then encourages drivers to install compartments in their car for water bottles if they don’t have cup holders. But if that’s too troublesome, just make sure you put your bottle in a secure spot so it doesn’t roll around when you’re driving. The netizen also took the opportunity to remind drivers to be more careful and clean their car from time to time to ensure no bottles or cans are left under their seats.
According to Sin Chew Daily, this comes right after an informant from the Department of Civil Defense (APM) said that a fatal accident occurred when a child’s water bottle rolled under the brake pedal of a family’s car, causing the death of its passengers.
Stay safe and hydrated, guys! Remember to keep your bottles where they won’t roll out.