Truck drivers spend significant time out on the road. Truckers drive many more miles than your standard motorist and thus have a higher chance of experiencing a blowout than other motorists. Tire blowouts don’t only put a trucker’s life at risk, but other drivers’ lives on the line when this type of incident happens as well.
What are the dangers associated with tire blowouts?
If you think about how often you see remnants of tires strewn about the interstate, then you probably see them quite often. There’s a reason for that. Tire blowouts most commonly occur when a trucker travels at a high rate of speed, such as more than the maximum sustainable speed of 75 miles per hour. That’s why you’re more apt to see truck tires shredded on the interstate than you are on city streets.
A trucker’s worst fear is having a tire blowout as such incidents can cause them to lose control of their truck and crash into others. These occurrences, fortunately, happen far less often than passenger car operators’ flat tires, though.
How often do truckers experience tire blowouts?
Data compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) captures how between 2009 and 2013, there were at least 16,000 people who died in either bus or truck accidents. That same data shows how nearly 200 of those incidents resulted from tire blowouts. An estimated 223 people lost their lives in those crashes, though.
Are tire blowouts preventable?
Most blowouts result from poor tire maintenance. Under-inflated or overinflated tires, uneven tread patterns and incorrect or mismatched tires are other reasons why blowouts occur. It’s not uncommon for manufacturer defects and even trucker driving behaviors such as excessive braking to result in tire blowouts. Other factors, including potholes or inclement or hot weather, may also result in tire blowouts.
What are your options if a tire blowout accident left you injured?
The progression of events following a trucker’s loss of control following a tire blowout happens fast. It leaves little time for them or any other Alabama motorists around them to take evasive action to get out of the way so that they don’t get hurt or killed. An attorney with experience in truck accidents can get started investigating your case right away to preserve the evidence necessary to recover the compensation that you deserve.