Laptops May Be Banned From Planes Due To Fire Hazard In The United States

A report on safety measures has identified a threat associated with a laptop battery which could result in a fire incidence which cannot be stopped by an extinguisher. Following this report, a proposal on the ban of laptops has been recommended by an international air safety panel.

Accordingly, the said report illustrates how an overheating laptop battery could result in a fire incidence that an extinguisher would not be able to handle, thereby leading to a huge loss of lives and the aircraft itself.  In the last few years, multiple battery models have been recalled due to the singular problem of a fire outbreak.

Why is this so?

People are increasingly in demand of a sophisticated gadget- a smaller, light-weighted laptop that can be used for a long period of time. They also expect these laptops to have bright screens with high processing power. Due to the competition in the tech market, no firm wants to lag behind in production. Technology is evolving, so, you must move with the trend by providing your customers what they want without putting into consideration possible adverse effects that follow.

Consumers love it sleek and light-weighted. For this reason, laptops have to be small, but they also consume a lot of energy and have to be in use for a pretty long time. What happens is synonymous with a heart failure which occurs as a result of a damaged or weakened heart muscle. The thinner and smaller batteries make it more possible for the batteries to fail, leak, and break or have a short circuit.

CNN reports that the ban will be presented for consideration by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, a subsection of United Nations Organisation before the end of this month. However, even if the proposal is endorsed by the organization, it does not have any effect on policies guiding individual nations- ‘it will be up to regulators in individual nations to pass rules to enforce it’.

Although the US FAA hasn’t issued a public comment to support the motion, it clearly represented its support on the ban and included its research on the risk of fire outbreaks from lithium batteries. Another of its worries is that the laptop bag which happens to catch fire may also contain aerosol cans which can lead to a catastrophe. The fire could reach a point where it can’t be extinguished or controlled before been detected by the crew members on the plane.

However, reports show that the number of laptops being checked in baggage is quite low, as people would rather carry their laptops with them, making it easier for a problem to be easily detected, thereby minimising the risk of a fire outbreak. The problem with lithium batteries didn’t start today. Two years ago, some major airlines banned hover boards due to reports of overheating and explosion.

In all, customer safety cannot be overruled by a questionable freedom.