South Africa’s road network is not in perfect condition and not all South African motorists drive responsibly. It’s quite a thought that our only contact with the ground when travelling in a car is its 4 tyres. At any given time, only a small percentage of the outside surface area of each tyre touches the road surface. Being so dependent on tyres for our safety, makes them extremely important. But what should we do when one of the tyres bursts while driving?
Some aspects of a tyre burst on the road1
A tyre burst is considered to be extremely dangerous. This could lead to a vehicle being totally out of control, which, in turn, could have serious consequences. During such an event, some vehicles could end up rolling.
The most common cause of a tyre burst is improper air pressure in the tyres – under-inflated tyres suffer from excessive flexing which will invariably increase your contact patch with the road. This leads to accumulation of more frictional force and in-turn causes excessive heat build-up within the tyre.
How often could you expect tyres to blow out?
Fortunately, today’s tyres are so technologically sound, that the chances of them bursting are less common. Nevertheless, any driver should know what to do if it happens one day.
What should you do when your tyre bursts?
Everything depends on how fast you happen to be travelling at the time of the burst. The faster you travel, the greater the momentum of the car, the greater the impact , and the longer it will take to stop the vehicle. Travelling at 90 km/hr and experiencing a tyre burst is a lot safer than one occurring at 120 km/hr. Nevertheless, you may not always be able to travel on a freeway at 90 km/hr. Please apply caution when driving and obey all the rules of the road. Also always ensure that your car’s tyres are roadworthy and correctly inflated.
Avoid slamming on the brakes
In an emergency such as a tyre burst, the first thing that comes to a driver’s mind may be to apply the brakes as quickly as possible. After all, you would like to stop the car as soon as possible, right? Unfortunately, this type of action would be disastrous, as the sudden braking could damage the vehicle completely. This is because the burst tyre is no longer part of the normal braking process.
Slow down gradually
Slightly similar to sudden braking would be to allow the car to decelerate immediately. Rather allow the car to slow down gradually. In fact, a tyre manufacturer advises that the speed at the time of the tyre burst should not change for a short while, before reducing it. What will help greatly in the slowing down process is the burst tyre itself. If you are using cruise control at the time, stop it immediately.
Steer the car a straight as you can
The last thing you want to do is to further destabilise the vehicle by swerving or cornering. Hold onto your steering wheel tight, and keep on going as straight as possible. Strong forces may want to pull your car either to the left or right. Avoid any jerking movements of the steering wheel while the car has been destabilised, because they can cause serious problems.
Let the vehicle ‘run out of speed’
To stop sooner, you can gear down to make the engine do some braking. Only when your car is travelling slowly, you can start to touch the brakes gently. It’s okay if the burst tyre has peeled off, and the vehicle is running on the bare metal rim. Avoid stopping at all costs on the road in the way of traffic as this could be dangerous. Don’t forget to switch on the hazard indicators.
Do you have car insurance that could provide more peace of mind? Why not contact PMD and discover more about their car insurance, which is affordable and includes unique benefits such as fixed premiums*and reduce to zero excess*. T’s and C’s apply.
This article was prepared by Eric Sandmann in his personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own. The views and opinions in the article should not be attributed to anyone but the author unless expressly stated. Nothing in this article should be relied upon as advice, this publication is presented for informational purposes only. No person should act or refrain from acting in reliance on any information found in this article, without first obtaining proper financial advice from the appropriate professional. The author makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, or completeness, of any information linked from, referred to, or contained in this article. The author reserves the right, to edit and change the content of this article.
Source:
1https://www.team-bhp.com/safety/tyre-bursts-blowouts-how-handle-and-prevent-them
[Info via The South African Tyre Manufacturers Conference (SATMC)]
Also view the following sections:
- Road Safety and Tyre Safety
- Tyre Failure and Vehicle Safety
- Wheel Balance, Wheel Alignment and Safe Driving
- Tyre Maintenance and Road Safety
- Tyre Expiry
- Nitrogen in Tyres and Road Safety
- Run Flat Tyre Technology and Road Safety
- Changing the Tyre Safely next to the Road
- Tyre Safety, Fitment and Road Safety
- Tyre Selection and Safety Tips