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.”