If you’re on the road and suddenly experience a tyre blowout, regardless of doing proper tyre checks and maintenance, try to remain calm to avoid making the situation more tense by stressing out.
Tyre blowouts usually happen when a motorist hits a bad pothole or drives over a sharp object, but you can fix it by keeping in mind the following tips and guidelines issued by Masterdrive South Africa and all should be fine:
1. Stay as calm as you possibly can.
2. Hold the steering wheel firmly.
3. Do not slam on the brakes as this is what can cause you to spin out of control.
4. Focus on keeping the vehicle straight. The vehicle will likely steer and possibly even veer in the direction of the blowout which you should try to counter by focusing on keeping the steering pointing straight ahead. It might be tempting to yank the steering wheel in the opposite direction, but avoid overcorrecting.
5. Gradually and carefully slow down by easing off the accelerator – the deceleration caused by the burst tyre will slow the vehicle somewhat more rapidly.
6. If your car has a manual transmission, change to a lower gear, but only if you have full control of the vehicle. In automatic transmissions remain in Drive.
7. Once the vehicle slows to 50km/h, start braking gradually and coast to a stop.
8. Once safely off the road, switch on your emergency lights.
Source: Masterdrive South Africa.
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