Your tires can blow out for any number of reasons. Among them are excessive wear, damaged, or improperly inflated tires. This is a dangerous situation especially at higher freeway speeds. You will probably hear the telltale loud “pop” just before you lose partial control of the vehicle. Should you find yourself in this situation, be aware of the following:
- Release the gas pedal and don’t hit the brakes. Believe it or not, braking will make matters worse. Let your vehicle begin to slow down on its own.
- Keep your focus on steering the vehicle in a straight path. Continue to let it slow down on its own, gradually. You will feel it as you regain full control.
- Apply the brakes lightly when you feel you have regained control of the vehicle.
- Once you get control, pull off of the road when it is safe to do so. Don’t forget to signal. If you are stopped in the middle of a freeway, drivers need to know your intentions. Don’t force them to guess.