First you'll hear a loud BOOM, then a sudden jerk and pull to one side. At highway speeds a tire blowout can quickly cause an inexperienced driver to panic and lose control. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, tire blowouts cause over 75,000 accidents and kill over 400 drivers each year.
If a tire blowout occurs on a busy highway when a car or truck is traveling at a high speed, the driver can lose control of the vehicle and cause a devastating accident.
Gradually release the accelerator to gradually slow down your car. Adjust your steering as needed to help stabilize your vehicle and regain control. Steer in the direction of where you want the vehicle to go. Pull your car over to the side of the road once you have slowed to a safe speed.
Not only does driving on a flat tire dangerously decrease your vehicle's handling, it may cause structural damage to the wheel, brakes, alignment, and potentially other components like your suspension and steering system.
While you might be tempted to “limp” your tire to the repair shop, you cannot drive with a flat tire. Driving on a flat can lead to all of the same issues listed above for low tire pressure—including vehicle safety and handling troubles—but their likeliness and consequences are magnified.
The limit is 50 miles just right after the tire got punctured. However, you must prepare for any potential damage to your car. However, flat tires shouldn't be driven long distances. You'll risk damaging your vehicle more, notably the wheels, brakes, and other parts such as your suspension and steering system.
Rear-tire blowouts are usually more disruptive and dangerous than front-tire blowouts, as drivers have no control over the rear end of the vehicle. Front-tire blowouts are still dangerous but generally easier to manage, as you should be able to steer to counteract the force of the blowout.
Turn on your emergency flashers to warn nearby drivers. Brake lightly to come to a complete stop once you're on the shoulder. If you're in the dark, set up flares or reflective cones to warn passing drivers. This is especially important if you have a tire blowout on a highway.
The deceleration force caused by the burst tyre will cause your car to slow down rapidly so it is best to maintain your speed and then gradually ease off. You need to focus on your steering to ensure that you continue travelling straight in order to avoid any collisions following the blowout.
A blowout at 80–90 km/h (50–56 mph) will be far less dramatic than one at 140–150 km/h (87–93 mph). Indeed, if you survive a tire burst at 150 km/h (93 mph), consider it a gift of God.
as a result of heat. When a tyre travels at high speed on a road the tyre gets hot, the air inside expands and the pressure rises. The tyre then bursts as result of the increase in pressure.
Punctures or cuts
Hitting a curb could also pierce a hole through the tire or cut the tread/sidewall. Usually, these punctures/cuts will have large diameters, meaning they won't be repairable. It's generally considered that you can only repair punctures of up to ¼ inches (6 mm) in diameter.
You may also notice vibrations or a “flapping” sound. Occasionally, you could hear a loud “pop” if your tire was punctured during a drive.
Assess your surroundings—If your flat tire occurred on a busy highway or interstate, don't change your tire yourself, even if you're capable of doing so. Changing a flat tire near speeding traffic is simply too dangerous to risk. Call a tow truck instead.
Stay Off the Brake.
It is natural to want to brake in an emergency. However, braking when a tire has failed could cause a loss of control. Unless you are about to drive into something, stay off the brake until the vehicle has slowed down. Then brake very gently, pull off the road and stop.
Once the tire has exploded, it may throw tread or other material from the tire into the roadway. The debris may hit other vehicles, remain on the road as obstacles causing further accidents, or hit pedestrians. Finally, a blown tire can affect your tire's rim. A properly inflated tire protects the rim.
The best action is to hold the steering wheel firmly and let the car slow down by itself. Your immediate instinct might be to brake, but if the car is starting to move sideways braking will make matters worse causing the car to spin. Sudden braking is the single worst thing that you can do if a tyre blows out.
Your car will pull if the tire is at the back too, but it may not feel as strong. Because of this, tire blowouts affecting the front of the vehicle are generally harder to manage than those affecting the back. Depending on where you're driving, the blowout could cause a serious accident.
Tire blow-outs occurred in 6.5% of cars that represented more than 80% of the vehicles involved in crashes. The occurrence of this phenomenon is very high for vans (22%), though it concerns trucks less (2.5%). The proportion of tire blow-outs decreased from 1997, when it was 8.0%, to 5.9% in 2002.
For instance, if 35 psi is recommended, and the maximum safe pressure listed on your sidewall is 44 psi, you can safely put 38 or 40 psi in your tires. You can even go to 44 psi. You'll experience a harder ride, but you won't create a blowout danger. You may even experience sharper cornering and increased fuel economy.
Use a tire repair kit
Kits often include sealant that can be used to cover small punctures on the tread, as well an air compressor to then inflate your tires. While this is only a temporary fix, it is a cheap option that can save you from being stranded if the culprit is a hole in the tread.
As a driver, maintaining the correct tire pressure is always a good idea. Keep it between 32 to 35 PSI. Any lower than 20 PSI, though, and you've got a flat tire.