You’re driving in the highway’s fast lane
when you hear something explode
underneath you.
The car starts to pull to the side
without you moving the wheel.
You’re losing control.
And your life depends
on what you do next,
so you'd better keep watching.
A tire blowout happens
when there's a rapid loss of
air pressure in the tire.
It can lead you to lose control
of the vehicle
and cause a massive crash.
In the U.S.,
there is an average of 11,000 tire-related
motor vehicle crashes every year,
causing 200 deaths.
But you're not going to be one of them.
If your tire has blown out,
it's crucial to steer forward.
Do not try to change lanes.
In December 2020, in Florida,
a 21-year-old woman
was driving in the highway's outside lane
when one of the car’s tires
suffered a blowout.
Another car was driving in her lane,
so she changed lanes
and crashed into the median guardrail.
The car rotated back into the inside lane,
and another vehicle hit it.
Then the woman’s car caught on fire.
She was hospitalized in serious condition,
and her car was so badly damaged
it was unrecognizable.
A study conducted by
the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA)
determined that if the tire pressure
is 25% too low,
the vehicle is three times more likely
to be involved in a crash
than vehicles with properly inflated tires.
And if the air pressure
inside your tire is off,
it can cause the tire to blow out.
Also, keeping your tires properly inflated
can save you up to 9 cents
per gallon of gasoline.
So it’s not a bad idea
to get your tires' pressure checked.
When a tire blows out
and you’re losing control of the vehicle,
you might be tempted to hit the brakes
to prevent an accident.
But if you do that,
you will make the situation a lot worse.
Slamming on the brakes
when a tire has blown out
can cause your car to flip.
Instead,
gently press the gas pedal.
A blown-out tire causes resistance,
so as you press the gas lightly,
you’ll keep your forward momentum.
Once you're in control of your car again,
you can ease off the gas.
Once your tire bursts,
there is not much you can do.
It doesn't matter which tire blows out.
The difference might be
how you’ll feel it.
In a front tire blowout,
you will feel the force
more in the vehicle’s steering.
When a rear tire blows out,
you will feel it more
in the seat or body of the vehicle.
But regardless of what tire has blown,
you'll need to hold tight
to the steering wheel
to try to regain control of the car.
Imagine your wheel is a clock
and keep your hands
at the two and 10 positions.
Paying attention to air temperatures
could help prevent
your tires from blowing out.
When the weather changes,
particularly
from cold to warm temps,
it can negatively affect your car's tires.
The colder weather can deflate
your car’s tires,
which puts you at risk of a blowout.
You should never
neglect tire maintenance,
especially as the spring gets near.
That was a close one,
but you made it out alive.
Unfortunately,
that's not the only thing
that could go wrong with your car.
Would you know what to do
if your brakes failed?
Well, find out here
on How to Survive.