When a tire blows or loses air pressure suddenly, it can cause a driver to lose control of a vehicle and potentially cause a crash. The site of torn tires is relatively common on the shoulders of many American highways yet most drivers do not understand the causes of these blowouts. In order to keep all roads as safe as possible, experts recommend that every motorist become familiar with tire maintenance and learn the warning signs that precede an accident.
Causes of Tire Blowouts
There are two main causes of tire blowouts: a condition caused or influenced by the driver or a defect in the tire itself.
A driver can contribute to a tire blowout by failing to keep a tire properly inflated, running over objects or debris like nails, striking a curb or other fixed object, or using tires beyond their useful life.
Defects in the tires themselves can also cause a blowout. These can occur when a tire is improperly designed or manufactured or made with substandard material.
Tire Design can Lead to Failure
The first thing drivers should realize is that not every tire is designed to be used on every car. Using a tire on a car that it is not designed for can increase the odds of a tire blowing. Different tires also need to be inflated to different pressures and failure to maintain proper tire pressure can lead to a blowout whether the pressure is too high or too low.
Drivers are encouraged to check their tire pressure at least once a month before driving when the tires are cold to ensure they are properly maintaining their tires.
Environmental Hazards for Tires
Even if tires are properly maintained, an incident while driving can cause a blowout. Commonly this happens when a drivers strikes a hard, fixed object like a curb during an accident. The sudden pressure placed against an inflated tire can be too much for the rubber to bear and can result in a blowout.
Other accidents can cause a car to cross over hazards in the road like broken glass, loose gravel, or construction debris that can pierce a tire and cause a sudden blow.
Liability for Tire Blowouts
After an accident involving a tire blowout, tire manufacturers are often quick to blame a driver for causing the crash. It is common to hear allegations that a driver was solely responsible for failing to maintain the tires properly but often this is not the case. The tire manufacturer may play a role in a tire-related accident and may be the sole responsible party in some of these crashes.
When a tire is poorly designed, it may be defective and be more susceptible to blowouts. A common tire defect involves treads separating and pulling apart from one another which causes a sudden loss of air pressure.
As with many defective products, tires can be subject to recalls when a problem is realized. However these recalls tend to be voluntary and not every defective tire is noted. The entire line of tires generally needs to be defective before it the need for the recall becomes noticed. If one individual tire is defective, it is much harder for officials to realize and it may not be learned until after an accident occurs.
Product Defects in Tire Production
This can also be true if inferior products are used to make a tire. If cheap material is used instead of the recommended components, a tire is more likely to fail. Tires include rubber and steel belt and the use of substandard steel can cause a tire to fail. Additionally, rubber is a limited-life product and begins to deteriorate as time passes. This happens even if the tire is not in use.
An older tire is more likely to blow than a newer tire due to this aging of rubber. This is a reason that experts recommend replacing tires every five to six years regardless of how many miles the tires have traveled.
Types of Crashes Caused by Blowouts
Tire blowouts are serious and can cause any type of accident. Since they often cause a driver to lose control, there are some types of crashes that are more common than others.
Rollover Crashes Caused by Tire Blowouts
One of the biggest categories of crashes related to blown tires is rollover crashes. When a tire blows or suddenly loses pressure at a high speed, the force associated with the moving vehicle can push it to the side and cause a car to rollover. This is more likely with vehicles that have a higher center of gravity, including trucks and SUVs. Tire blowouts and resulting SUV rollovers were highly publicized in the 1990s and resulted in numerous injuries and fatalities.
Head-on Crashes caused by Tire Blowouts
Another type of common crash caused by tire blowouts is a head-on collision. If a tire blows when a driver is near an intersection or where oncoming traffic is present, even a slight shift in a vehicle’s trajectory can place it in line for a head-on collision. Among crashes, these are some of the most fatal and serious.
If You Were Injured by a Tire Blowout, Contact Abels & Annes
If you have been hurt in a crash where a tire on a vehicle blew out, you may have a claim for your damages. Each accident is different and each case is as well so it is important that you speak with a knowledgeable attorney after an accident to learn about your rights.
At Abels & Annes, P.C., we make it our business to represent injured victims of car accidents. Whether you have been hurt or a loved one has been hurt or killed, we will fight for a recovery you deserve. Contact us online now or call us at (855) 749-5299, locally at (602) 819-5191.
Call the car accident lawyers at Abels & Annes, P.C. today at (855) 749-5299 for a free case consultation. We are standing by 24 hours a day to take your call.