Fire Danger Period & Total Fire Ban tip 7 - Driving vehicles

Summer is a very popular time to be in the outdoors enjoying the country side and nature but a lot of people are completely unaware of risk of starting fires when driving a vehicle in places where it will be in contact with crops, grass, stubble, weeds, undergrowth or other vegetation during the Fire Danger Period and Total Fire Bans.

Let's run through the facts of driving in places where the vehicle will be in contact with crops, grass, stubble, weeds, undergrowth or other vegetation during the Fire Danger Period and on Total Fire Ban days.

During the Fire Danger Period can I drive a vehicle in places where the vehicle will be in contact with crops, grass, stubble, weeds, undergrowth or other vegetation?

You should avoid driving vehicles through dry vegetation in hot and dry conditions, even if it is not a Total Fire Ban Day, because of the risk posed by the hot exhaust system.

If you have to drive a vehicle in places where the vehicle will be in contact with crops, grass, stubble, weeds, undergrowth or other vegetation the vehicle must be fitted with an efficient silencing device (eg. muffler) that takes all of the exhaust from the engine through the silencing device.

On a Total Fire Ban day can I drive a vehicle in places where the vehicle will be in contact with crops, grass, stubble, weeds, undergrowth or other vegetation?

This should be avoided wherever possible, as the risk of starting fires is extremely high and the impact of fire on these days may be much greater.