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Just sharing some of my thoughts and knowledge gathered from reading several articles on the topic. You are welcome to comment. My intention is to raise the awareness of people who are unknowingly taking on excessive risks. Many of you will be aware of the fire hazards of Lithium batteries. We have learnt to accept these hazards knowingly or unknowingly. The technology had been improved and the risks decreased over the years. The risk is never zero. Well known cases include Sony laptop batteries and the recent Boeing battery problems. There are many more. Even reputable MNCs like them face problems given their strict Quality/Reliability/Safety requirements and qualifications. Some of us use Lithium secondary cells without safety certification like UL1642 to power DVRs in our cars 24/7, under the hot sun and unattended. I hope to raise your awareness to the risks of Lithium battery thermal runaways and internal short circuits failure modes. I am not sure typical comprehensive auto insurance in Singapore covers such non-OEM "modifications". I need comments on this. There are simple mitigations that the ordinary consumer can adopt to reduce the risks. It may be troublesome but it takes care of the most risky phases of Lithium battery usage to avoid catastrophic outcomes. I list some of my personal ones, which include non-car related. - Never charge phones beside you when sleeping. I mandate this on my family recently. - Avoid having Lithium battery less than ~40% of charge whether in usage or storage. Undercharge conditions increase risks of internal short circuit that can start a fire, even under storage. - Overcharge is also dangerous, but this is usually not a problem as batteries and charger nowadays have automatic cutoff. - Avoid high temperatures. In Singapore, car parked under the hot sun has induced internal temperature of 60 to 70 degress C. This greatly increase risks of a thermal runaway condition internal of the battery and start a fire. I know people have done tests to show DVRs work under such conditions. I do not think these tests are done over the long term and with enough sample size. You need just 1 event over the lifetime of a battery to create a catastrophic outcome.

Being a cosmopolitan city, Singapore is brightly lit with the rows of lights lining up the roads and expressways. But I realised that these things posed as potential hazards at night during a downpour especially as it caused the lights to "break up' and distract your vision because of the glare produced by the 'break up' of lights. I was driving down from NSHW yesterday and the rain was heavy from Malacca to here but once I entered the checkpoint, I feel that driving in Sg is more challenging due to the change in environment. Now I appreciate more the lack of street lights on NSHW. Anyone feels the same? Any remedy to eliminate the hazard?

now that there are legalized versions of battery powered motorized bicycles, there's a revival of gungho riders out to test the limits of road safety. they seem to think that having attached a motor to their bicycle makes them lightning fast & boosted their confidence to cruise on the outermost lane or zip across 3 lanes a motorized bicycle in the wrong hands is just an accident waiting to happen.

How many times in a year, does one read about a tree causing damages to cars, pedestrians, motorists, and passengers as well as causing accidents and traffice snarls? If you drive along any road or expressways, there are many locations where trees branches overhangs the road or expressway which can potentially break and cause unimaginable grief. I take the tree branches overhanging the expressway flyover near Bt Timah Plaza heading towards Tuas for example; - there is one particular thick and old looking branch overhanging almost 90 degree angle across the bend of the expressway flyover in the direction of Tuas. I always keep an eye on that whenever I have to drive pass that stretch. The branch is THICK and obviously very heavy. Should that break and come crashing down, I dare not imagine the kind of grief THAT will bring depending on time of day and traffic conditions. I think that the authorities concerned are NOT doing enough, fast enough to address this Tree Hazards on our roads. I believe this problem would not have become, if the trees along our roads, byways, and expressways, had been maintained well in advance to prevent just such issues that are now escalating. I agree that trees provides greenery shade and promotes better atmosphere, but left overgrown and not monitored for safety (especially those along roads and expressways) it will lead to a lot of claim against the relevant autorities as well as loss of lives & earnings to road users and the general public. Recently, a case wherein a mini-bus diver whose mini-bus was crushed by a falling tree during a thunderstorm, had his claim for compensation redirected to the Horticultural Contractor the government engaged to plant the trees. Do you think this is ethical and fair to both victim and contractor/s?? What are your opinions on this issue, and any suggestions? ================================ Tree falls on cab in Woodlands, driver sent to NUH Posted: 07 June 2009 2213 hrs SINGAPORE: Strong winds and heavy rain caused some disruption in Woodlands on Sunday afternoon. A tree fell on the road at Woodlands Avenue 2, near Causeway Point, at about 12.30pm. It hit a cab and the driver was sent to the National University Hospital (NUH) after he complained of chest pains. Another tree at a nearby road also fell due to bad weather. - CNA/so

Seems like more and more people are getting suicidal. Please watch out for human lying on the roads while you are driving.