Cherry Hill Car Accident Lawyers: How to Avoid Tire Blowouts

The shredded remains of a blown-out tire along the side of the road is a familiar sight to highway drivers. You may have even driven behind a car as it suffered a blowout or had one yourself while driving. Blowouts are one of the leading causes of passenger vehicle and tractor trailer accidents. When they happen, drivers can lose control and veer off the road or into oncoming traffic. Blowouts are scary to watch and experience, but there are ways to prevent them.

Tires explode for a variety of reasons. Knowing why they fail can help you prevent blowouts and the hazards they create. Anything that diminishes the air in the tire and prevents it from doing what it is designed to do – support the weight of the vehicle and its contents – can lead to a blowout and cause a serious car accident.

Factors Contributing to Tire Blowouts

Potholes and other road hazards damage tires to the point they either deflate immediately or deflate slowly over time until one day you have a blowout seemingly out of nowhere. Overloading your vehicle also leads to tire blowouts. If you want to significantly increase your load, it is best to increase the tire pressure to the “maximum pressure” load number indicated on the tire sidewall. That number indicates how much the tire can support if it is inflated to that pressure.

The most common cause of tire blowouts is under-inflation. A tire’s internal components stretch and eventually break down without proper air pressure. To determine the proper air pressure for your vehicle, look inside the driver’s side door jamb. Newer vehicles have built-in tire pressure monitoring systems. However, these systems usually do not alert drivers until tires are severely underinflated. Drivers should not depend solely on technology and instead should manually check all tires on a regular basis. A simple walk around your car in the morning before you leave every day can help you catch a deflated tire before it becomes a serious hazard.

Even if you take every safety precaution possible, blowouts still happen. Knowing how to recover from a blowout reduces your chances of being in a serious car accident. It may seem counter-intuitive, but it is important to maintain your speed after a blowout. Deaccelerating quickly or applying the breaks could send your car out of control. Instead, wait for your car to steady and gradually slow down. Pull off to the side of the road, out of traffic, and call for help. Always allow plenty of space between the car or truck in front of you to give you enough time to react if they have a blowout.

Cherry Hill Car Accident Lawyers at DiTomaso Law Obtain Compensation for Tire Blowout Injuries

If you or a loved one suffered a serious injury in a car accident in South Jersey that was caused by another person’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. Call DiTomaso Law to schedule your free, no obligation consultation at 856-414-0010 or contact us online. With offices in Philadelphia and Cherry Hill, New Jersey, our Cherry Hill car accident lawyers serve clients throughout Pennsylvania and South Jersey.