What To Do When You Have A Tire Blow Out
February 1, 2020
If you’re driving and have a blow out, your instincts may be to slam on your brakes and veer off the road, but those are not safe steps in this situation! Really to do those things is the opposite of what you should do. Be prepared should this happen to you and know the proper way to handle this situation.
When you have a blow out, remain as calm as possible and follow these steps;
- Keep Control of Your Vehicle
Your natural instinct will be to brake; however, you need to keep your foot on the gas! That will allow you to maintain control of your vehicle. You will have more control when you manage the momentum of your vehicle with conservative use of the accelerator. Your wheels need to continue rolling for you to maintain control of the vehicle.
- Correct Your Steering
Avoid making sudden jerky movements of the steering wheel. Gently correct your steering so that your car is brought back into position. Once you have your car back under control, you can begin to ease your foot off the gas pedal in order to slow down. Use only very slight braking. Just expect that your steering won’t respond the way you’re accustomed to, so take it easy!
- Pull Off the Road
Once you have slowed back down, pull off to the side of the road, and optimally somewhere it is safe to change the tire. You will do less damage to the vehicle the sooner you can stop at a safe place, but your priority is to find that safe place to pull over.
- Only Turn on Your Hazards after Pulling Over
It’s important to warn other drivers that you are experiencing an emergency situation, but you’re actually better off if you wait until you’ve pulled off the road to turn on your hazard lights. You’ll be too busy responding to the situation anyway, and you don’t want to take your eyes off the road when your car is not under your control. Don’t make things even harder on yourself.
Thanks to idrivesafely.com for some of the tips to how to handle a tire blow out.
Trust us to keep you safe!
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