Luckily, a tyre blowout is a relatively infrequent occurrence. Car and tyre technologies are improving all the time, resulting in better safety and durability. However, if a tyre does burst while you’re driving, there are some safety steps which you can follow to ensure the damage is minimal.
- Don’t slam on the brakes. This will be your initial instinct, but it’s important that you don’t follow it because braking hard will make the vehicle swerve and you’re much more likely to lose control.
- Release the accelerator slowly. You don’t want to be making any sudden moves which might spin the car out of control. If you feel like the car is being dragged to one side, you can actually accelerate a little more initially to ‘drive through’ the force.
- Steer slowly and carefully. Don’t try to turn off the road suddenly – you can easily lose control doing this.
- Most importantly, stay as calm as possible. It’s a scary situation, but if you react with panic and try to do anything too quickly, the car is likely to veer off track. Look well ahead, think about where you ultimately want to direct the car to, and make your way there by letting the car slow down naturally and using steady steering.