What To Do During a Tire Blowout

In our last blog post the most important tire maintenance was talked about to avoid safety hazards such as tire blowouts. However, sometimes tire blowouts are unavoidable. “A tire blowout is a rapid loss of tire air pressure that can cause your vehicle to lose control.”

NHTSA described what to do if you experience having a tire blowout on the road. 

“The goal in any blowout is to keep the vehicle balanced and controllable. Do not panic. Any overreaction – including slamming on the brakes or abruptly removing your foot from the accelerator – can result in a loss of control over the vehicle.”

Here are the steps you should take in this situation: 

  • “Hold the steering wheel with both hands.
  • Maintain your vehicle speed if possible and if it’s safe to do so.
  • Gradually release the accelerator.
  • Correct the steering as necessary to stabilize your vehicle and regain control. Look where you want the vehicle to go and steer in that direction.
  • Once your vehicle has stabilized, continue to slow down and pull off the road where and when you judge it’s safe to do so.”