I received this e-mail yesterday:
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I’m writing on behalf of SafeTravel, a new DOT initiative founded to respond to lithium battery safety issues in air travel. The initiative’s website also addresses other items which could cause unintentional safety concerns. I’m writing to request Vagabondish’s help in spreading the word about this travel safety resource.
Today’s travel enthusiast is typically also a portable gadget enthusiast. Whether it’s blogging from his/her latest travel, keeping in touch by cell phone, or keeping a camcorder running, today’s traveler carries batteries and battery-powered equipment everywhere.
But as batteries have become more powerful, incidents involving batteries and personal electronic devices have become more common. We have all seen laptop fires in settings on the ground. Imagine one at 30,000 feet.
That’s why the Department of Transportation launched http://SafeTravel.dot.gov. Please check out the safety tips provided on this public awareness site, and consider linking to it for Vagabondish users. It’s a way to add value for your membership, while making the skies safer for us all.
Thanks very much for your consideration of this important public awareness effort!
Sincerely,
Dan Halberstein
Office of Hazardous Materials Initiatives and Training
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
I’ve no doubt that batteries could pose a potential – if unlikely – threat to air safety. Possible? Yes. Probable? I doubt it.
So is an entire department or government initiative really necessary for such an unlikely safety risk? It’s no wonder the U.S. government can blow through tax dollars like a drunken sailor. The difference of course is that at least the sailor’s spending his own money.