Driving Emergencies – It can happen anywhere at any time. You’re driving along and then suddenly you hear a “Bang!”, a whoosh of air, vibration in the wheel, and your blown-out tire is flapping against the road. This can endanger not only the life of the driver itself but also the passengers that are riding in the vehicle with him/her.
Hence, it important to be ready to handle various driving emergencies. Here we are going to cover a few pointers of what you should do when you experience a tire blowout.
Why are blowouts caused in the first place?
Tires are the most important parts of your vehicle. In addition to that, modern tires provide high traction and great reliability. But tires can fail. It might fail because of a puncture or a slow leak or heat buildup due to improper inflation.
Read Also : Tips to Improve Employee Loyalty
Hence, it is always important to wear your seat belt including all the passengers who are sitting in the front or the back of the car. But, most importantly you must inspect the vehicle, especially the tires’ condition, before taking the vehicle out for a trip.
However, even after taking care of all the precautions you still experience a blowout, remain calm and remember these three key steps:
Step 1: Stabilize your Vehicle
Ignore your natural instinct to hit the brakes or jerk the steering wheel when you have a blowout.
To bring your vehicle to equilibrium, you want to stay calm and if a front tire blows out, you will feel a strong pull to one side. If a rear tire blows out, you might feel the rear of the car sway back and forth haphazardly. In order to overcome this situation, maintain a firm grip on the steering wheel and focus on driving with a straight course.
Tip:Hold the steering wheel firmly with both hands at 10 o’clock and two o’clock on the wheel to avoid losing control.
Step 2: Don’t Slam on the Brakes
It is better to ease up on the accelerator, but stay off the brakes. If you apply the brakes, it may upset the vehicle’s balance making a risky situation even more dangerous.
Once the vehicle is coasted down to 20 – 25 miles an hour, then you can gently apply the brakes if needed.
Tip:Make sure you turn on your right turn signal.
Step 3: Pull Off the Road Safely
Your focus should be on finding a safe place to pull off the road. So, check the traffic around you, find a safe gap signal and steer off the road. Don’t worry about the condition of your tire or if you have to drive on it for a short distance. Chances are it’s not safe through future use anyway.
Note: This is the time when you start considering looking for the Best Tyres in Saudi Arabia for your long-term replacement.
If possible, when you stop, have at least five feet of clearance between you and the roadway. Set the parking brake and shift to park. Only exit your vehicle if you are certain that you are safely off the road and out of harm’s way.
Turn on your emergency flashers for other drivers and put out reflective cones or triangles if you have them.Then get everyone out of the vehicle and into a safe position.
Things to Take Note of:
If it isn’t safe to change the tyrein a place where you are due to unexpected rain, other weather conditions, or simply because you are not sure how to change a tire, call for roadside assistance.
It would be a good time to use your mobile internet package and search up for the best car stations near you. Never put yourself at risk when changing your tire. Especially if you’ve had a blowout. That’s why it is so important to check your tire pressure on a regular basis, at least once a month.
Tip: If possible, never stop on the left side of the road. This is the most dangerous place to be.
So that’s how you can handle a tire blowout in an unexpected situation.
An Interesting Fact:
Michigan has the highest rate of seat belt usage in the U.S., at 97.2%
