Miscellaneous Safety Upgrades

I’ve got a few off roading safety odds and ends to share with you all. Some of this stuff won’t mean much to the people with newer vehicles since you’re already in good shape right off the lot, but maybe some of the info will be useful.

I added battery terminal covers to my battery. It’s good to have all of your positive power sources under the hood covered. Otherwise in the event of a rollover, a crushed hood or other moving metal parts could spark a fire. I got these covers from the local boat dealer for 5 bucks. Just disconnect the cable from the starter end (or from the grounding surface end for the negative cable) and slide them on.

For those using an electronic fuel pump, standard wiring would have it set up so that when the engine dies, the fuel pump shuts off. To go a step further would be to route the power for the pump through an emergency kill switch within arms reach on the dash. In the event of a rollover, with the engine still running or with the fuel pump still pumping, excess fuel will be dumped into the engine compartment and thus increasing the risk of fire. If a rollover is eminent, swat the kill switch and hang on for the ride.


The majority of the fire extinguishers I see on off road vehicles are mounted on the roll bar behind the driver. That’s easy access for others, but typically out of reach by the driver while he is still strapped in his seat. An example of why this could be a problem is this: You’ve just rolled your vehicle and you’ve ended up in a position that has you either pinned in your seat or unable to exit. Help may be on the way, but in the mean time your engine compartment is on fire and it’s getting rather toasty by your legs. Maybe you and your buddy riding shotgun are both trapped and one of you is unconscious.

Whatever the case, my opinion is that having the fire extinguisher within arms reach while seated is best.

The best of both worlds is of course to have two fire extinguishers, with one of them that can be reached from the driver’s seat. That also provides you with a spare in case the one you’ve had clamped to your rig for the last five years decides to malfunction when you need it most. I plan on adding a second one to my Jeep.

No making fun of my "center console."
Flatty Mike

Mike's write up of Devils Canyon Night Run

Mike posted his writeup over on a seperate blog - check it out here

Mike's Write up