How To Handle A Blowout (Tire) Situation

Picture this, you are driving at 120kmh and then, suddenly, one of your tires bursts. What will you do? (Please, do not say God Forbid because it actually happens).

About 2 months ago we heard of the fatal crash that claimed the life of Nigeria's minister of state for labour and productivity, James Ocholi, alongside his wife and son. The crash report pointed out that the left rear tire of the SUV was under-inflated before it burst and the car somersaulted. BUT there was something that happened which resulted in the somersault..... the driver slammed the brakes HARD. This write-up can help to save your life or that of a loved one if this same scenario were to present itself. I will share with you steps to take to handle such a situation as we progress.

What Is A Blowout?

A blowout refers to a situation in which air from the tire(s) escape at such a rapid rate that it leads to an explosion. In other words, the structural component of the tire is no longer able to contain the pressurised air. Likely causes of a blowout include:

- Objects tearing or cutting into the tire

- Overloaded vehicles

- Under and over-inflated tires

- Tires are prone to fail in hot temperatures

- Worn out tires and failure to inspect them regularly

- Potholes

What You Should Never do During A Blowout?

No need for long stories here. You need to take this as your topmost driving commandment - "You shall not hit the brakes no matter the situation". On no occasion should you step on the brakes no matter how tempting it may be.

How To Handle A Blowout?

- Accelerate. This will help the vehicle to maintain momentum and keep it in the desired direction.

- Never apply the brakes

- Place both hands firmly on the steering wheel and steer to keep vehicle in a straight line. 

- The rule here is to steer in the opposite direction of the blowout. For instance, if your right front tire were to blowout, you need to steer left to override this new direction from this new speed force. You can study the Laws of Inertia to understand more.

- When you know you have gotten control of the car, ease off the acceleration and pull over.

- Repeat all this steps in your sub-conscious over and over again so that your system is programmed to know how to act, not react, in this scenario.

Remember that driving is a skill and the best of drivers know that a vehicle is just an extension of oneself.

Watch out for the video in subsequent posts.

If you find this informative, share with your loved ones today.