Accidents Caused by Tire Blowouts Often Falsely Attributed to the Driver

When a tire explodes, blows out or loses its tread while it is rotating at highway speeds, the driver often loses their ability to properly control the vehicle, especially if one of the rear tires fails. When a vehicle is no longer controlled by the driver as it travels down the road, the driver and those who were on the road with them in South Carolina often end up incurring significant injuries.

For example, a man in Virginia was recently killed after one of his tires blew out. Once the blow out occurred, his car went through a guardrail, hit several trees and then eventually caught on fire, states WDBJ7.

Causes of Tire Blowouts

There are several reasons why a tire may fail while a driver is operating a vehicle. These include some of the following:

• The tire is underinflated-Without proper air pressure, the internal components of the tire, like the steel, rubber and fabric composites, are stretched beyond their limits.
• The vehicle is overloaded-Drivers who try to transport too much weight in their vehicle compromise their tires’ ability to withstand pressure as they rotate.
• Tire maintenance is not a priority-Those who forget to check their tire pressure on a regular basis or who ignore a slow leak in one of their tires put themselves at risk for a blowout.

Additionally, design flaws and errors made during a tire’s manufacturing or installation can lead to a tire blowout that is unexpected and which the driver is not at fault for.

The Tread Act

To prevent tire defects, the federal government enacted the Transportation Recall Enhancement Accountability and Documentation Act on November 1, 2002, states the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This piece of legislation makes it a requirement for tire manufacturers to report suspected defects and foreign tire recalls to the NHTSA on a regular basis. This act also required the NHTSA to update and revise existing tire safety standards, improve tire labelling and make automobile manufacturers install devices on all new vehicles that indicate when a tire is severely underinflated.

Despite these requirements, a recent ABC Investigation discovered that millions of potentially dangerous defective tires remain on vehicles and on store shelves. Although defective tires are a common issue, drivers who are involved in an injurious accident caused by a defective tire are often believed to be at fault due to the many different causes of tire blowouts. If you were recently injured in a car accident caused by a defective tire blowout, the Knie & Shealy Law Offices can help you. contact me online for a free consultation.