On the way home from the office today, moving westbound, traffic was even more sluggish than usual. A faint glimpse of smoke up ahead, near the Waipahu off-ramp, did not bode well for weary commuters. As I drew closer, the smoke appeared dense and black, billowing from a Nissan truck that was already engulfed in huge flames. The driver was out of his vehicle a good distance away from the inferno, standing in the middle of the second lane from the right, directing cars to the left. Fire fighters and police were not yet on the scene. Apparently, the blaze started only minutes before.

As expected, people drove by slowly, rubbernecking the entire way. I had a fleeting thought about whipping out my camera to take a photo (or video) of the spectacle, but quickly came to my senses. All I could think about was moving as far away from the burning vehicle as quickly as possible. All of those impressive car explosions I’ve see in the movies came to mind and thoughts of flying shrapnel and flaming truck parts caused me to step on my gas pedal just a little harder as I drove by.

Witnessing such spectacular display of automotive malfunction almost made me happy to fork out $1400 to repair my car this past Saturday. Keeping my car well-maintained (at least internally) is important, especially since driving in rush hour traffic can take its toll. Just don’t ask me how often I wash and wax my car. To my credit, I do try to get it to a car wash before the build up of grime starts affecting my gas mileage. Lucky for me, dirt isn’t flammable.