Your tyre bursts while you’re driving. What should you do?

Related Information

How does it feel when a tire blows out?

Any blowout is risky, regardless of which axle it happens on. Your vehicle will shake violently when the front wheel bursts, and the steering wheel will pull towards the broken wheel. You will also feel a blowout in the rear tires via your seat. Your car will appear to fishtail or otherwise act as though you are driving on a slick surface.

Large vehicles, such as trucks, buses, campers, and heavy cargo cars, will always lose control if a tire blowout occurs on the steering axis. In addition, a high profile tire deepens the sudden lean, and the extra weight intensifies the force that pulls the car to one side.

How to handle a blown-out tire?

Stay calm and follow the steps below:

1. After your tire blows, keep your hands on the wheel in the proper driving position to keep control of your vehicle. Do not lean back on the seat or operate the vehicle with one hand as this will slow down defensive reactions.

2. Keep your cool and refrain from making quick, jerky movements with the steering wheel. Even while traveling at high speeds, many passenger cars maintain their balance after a tire blows (especially when using low profile tyres).

3. Take your foot off the accelerator gradually. Gently remove the pressure because a more sudden release could throw the vehicle's balance off.

4. Avoid pressing the brake pedal. Doing so will increase the force dragging the car to one side.

5. If you were able to retake control of the vehicle, allow it to slow down gradually. When the speed is between 25 and 30 miles per hour, you can begin to softly apply the brakes.

6. You can also apply the hand brake if the front tire blows out. If you choose to do this, you can transfer some of the load to the rear axles, relieving some of the pressure at the front, but you should use extreme caution (and only if your handbrake only affects the rear wheels alone).

7. If you cannot directly operate the vehicle, accelerate. The less dynamic your vehicle is, the more you should accelerate. The challenge, though, is in being able to resist the impulse to stop the car. Remove pressure from the accelerator gently as the vehicle accelerates and stabilizes.