Article 30 of the National Traffic Code establishes that No vehicle can travel through the roads of the national territory without carrying a road kit.
This consists of: a jack with the capacity to raise the vehicle, a crosshead, two triangle-shaped road signs in reflective material, a first aid kit, extinguishertwo plugs to block the vehicle, basic tool box, spare tire and flashlight.
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One of the most important elements of the road kit is the fire extinguisher, since it must be stabilized recharged and under special conditions depending on the vehicle.
The Colombian technical standard (NTC 1446) obliges drivers to carry a ‘BC’ type fire extinguisher (5 or 10 pounds) in the car. This reference is intended to control fires caused by flammable liquids and petroleum derivatives (gasoline and Acpm).
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A fire extinguisher is made up of a dry chemical powder. Its filling is typically 80 percent powder and 20 percent nitrogen, at 120 pounds of pressure, which compresses the powder and allows it to escape through a plastic tube in the center of the container and connected to the valve. .
“The control organisms in Colombia oblige recharge the extinguisher every year because it can present fatigue in its materials with the consequent loss of pressure, and because the chemical powder loses its total effectiveness while it is stored for a long time,” engineer César Augusto Ramírez, manufacturing manager of Industrias Campi, a manufacturer of fire extinguishers, told MOTOR MAGAZINE.
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What is the fine for not having the fire extinguisher recharged or the road kit?
If you carry the expired fire extinguisher, or do not carry any of the elements of the road kit, the Traffic Police may fine you 15 current legal daily minimum wages, which is equivalent to $580,000 by 2023.
It should be noted that this traffic violation does not cause the immobilization of the vehicle.
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