While Driving On The Highway You Have A Tire Blowout – Do’s & Dont’s

Any incident with the tyers and our lives might be at stake. 

Regardless of how skilled you are as a driver, experiencing a tire blowout is nothing short of a nightmare. Here’s what you should and shouldn’t do.

Tire Blowouts: A Safety Hazard

Tyers are paramount in keeping drivers safe while they breeze through the road with their vehicles.

However, despite their importance, tyers are often vulnerable to faults and incidents due to numerous factors.

Many of these factors can often result in a tire burst as you drive

Experiencing a tire blowout suddenly on the highway can lead to a situation where you and the passengers can sustain serious – or even fatal – injuries. 

In this nightmare scenario, there are many actions that you can take to prioritize the safety of yourself and the rest of the passengers.

We’ll be taking a detailed look at the “dos” and the “don’ts” of tire blowouts on the highway.

How Should You Handle a Tire Blowout While Driving on The Highway?

Having a tire burst while you’re driving on the highway is frightening. 

Imagine experiencing a tire burst while driving to work on a busy highway or coming back home with the rest of your family as passengers.

Your first instinct would be to hit the brakes. The truth is that hitting the breaks will only worsen the situation. 

The balance of the vehicle will further collapse, and you’ll lose what little control you have over the car.  

Another essential aspect you must be mindful of is keeping your car in one straight lane. 

A tire blowout will indefinitely force your vehicle to move in one direction

In this situation, you must pull the steering wheel in the opposite direction to keep the car straight and avoid setting your car on a collision course with another.

How To Regain Control of The Car After a Tire Blowout

There are a limited number of actions that you can take to avoid a potentially horrible outcome when it comes to a tire blowout.

You can drastically improve your chances by keeping your head straight and following the recommended actions. 

One trick is to let go of the accelerating pedal slowly. 

If you disengage the pedal immediately, the change could affect the control of your car. 

However, gradually releasing the pedal will maintain the vehicle’s balance and prevent it from skewing to the other side of the road.

How A Tire Blowout at The Wrong Time Is Dangerous

We’ve talked a lot about how dangerous tire blowout is, but if you’re a new driver, you might wonder why. 

There’s no specific reason as to why a tire blowout can occur. 

Instead, there are several reasons, such as improper air pressure, deflated tyers, high speed, and even an overloaded vehicle.

Regardless of why and which tire bursts, you’ll experience a violent jolt throughout the car. 

The steering wheel will pull you toward the busted wheel while you struggle to maintain control of the vehicle. 

If you’re driving on a highway, you can be vulnerable to a high-speed collision.

The best way to sum up driving on a tire blowout is through the following: Imagine walking on a slippery ice slop without proper shoes. 

You’ll barely be able to stand straight and walk without slipping and falling. 

That’s precisely what it feels like to have your tire burst while driving on the highway with a tire blowout.

While Driving on The Highway, You Have a Tire Blowout – Here Are the Dos and The Don’ts

Regardless of how scary the situation is, you can get through it. Here’s what you should and shouldn’t do regarding a tire blowout.

The Dos

Keep ahold of the steering wheel with your hands, and don’t let go. You’ll need the strength of both your hands to maintain control of the vehicle.

 As mentioned above, keep your car straight on. 

The more you deviate from your original path, the more out of control your car will get. 

The best way to keep your vehicle straight is to pull the steering wheel in the opposite direction of the tire blowout.

  • Release the accelerator pedal as gradually as you can  
  • Slow down gradually and pull off at the side of the road
  • Finally, keep your composure. Any wrong move and you can escalate the situation into a rollover.

The Actions You Should Avoid – The Don’ts

Don’t hit the brakes. A tire burst is not accounted for in any car’s braking system. You’ll only end up destabilizing the vehicle more.

Don’t make any violent jerks towards roadside safety. Any sudden movement can ultimately cause you to lose control of the car. 

That’s why every action you take needs to be slow and deliberate.

Tips On Avoiding Tire Blowouts

Tire blowouts might seem like sudden inevitable incidents. 

The reality, however, is that most tire blowout incidents result from improper tire maintenance. 

Like any component of your car, routine checkups of your vehicle’s tires can go a long way in preventing possibly dangerous situations.

Make sure that you’re in the habit of checking your tire’s air pressure weekly. 

Moreover, if you’ve driven over any rough road edges, it would be best to check your tires for any damage or hole at your earliest convenience. 

Moreover, driving too closely to the curb can also create an opportunity for your tyers to get damaged.

Even if you’ve missed other signs, you can still predict a potential tire burst before it happens. 

Keep checking your car’s temperature and vibration levels as you drive. 

If you notice any dramatic and sharp increase in its readings, you can rest your vehicle by the roadside and check for leaks or damages.

Conclusion

Tire blowouts stay a concern for drivers regardless of how experienced they are. However, you can safely maneuver your car by following the recommendations and tips mentioned above. 

Any driver needs to be aware of all actions that they can take in a tire blowout. 

But most importantly, they also need to know what actions they need to avoid no matter what.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dean Alvarez, TireForge Head Author

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