Readers who scan HCB's Incident Log carefully each month will be well aware of the number of accidents involving road tankers in the developing world - and we also suspect that we are only scratching the surface of the problem. It usually involves either poor driving (particularly speeding and unsafe overtaking), poor quality trucks (especially brakes) and poor road conditions, or a combination of all three. Another common feature of such accidents is that the driver, unless incapacitated, often flees the spot, fearing the wrath of his boss, the police and/or locals. At this point there is a frequent temptation on the part of those locals - often the rural poor - to take advantage of the booty that has landed on their doorsteps and siphon off or collect spilling fuel. Quite often one of them will be smoking and it is then that disasters can occur.
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