A couple on I-95 is lucky to be alive after flipping their RV when a tire blew. The couple was outside of Jacksonville, Florida driving a class A and pulling a truck when it flipped and crashed into the guardrail. They and their dogs survived the crash, apparently without any serious injuries.
RV Hangs Off Bridge After Tire Blowout (FHP)
Their story reminded of this insightful video by Michelin on how to handle a tire blowout while driving an RV, or any car for that matter. I highly recommend watching their video because they give some nice graphics to make sense of what to do. They also have demonstrations where a tire is detonated to simulate a blowout…er, rapid air loss.
Accelerate and Steer
The two main points to remember when a tire blows, is first, you hit the gas peddle, and second is to make steering corrections as needed.
When driving, it’s the forward momentum, or forward force, that helps you maintain control. When a blowout occurs, there is a new side force pushing in the direction of the blowout. By hitting the accelerator and increasing the forward force, you compensate quickly for this new side force. That’s where the physics discussion and graphics help in the video. The idea is not to actually pick up speed, but to offset the new side force to stabilize control. You’ll ease off the accelerator and determine how and where to pull over.
At the time of blowout, they say the worst thing to do is to hit the brakes, and the second worse thing is to take your foot off the accelerator; of course those are the first two instinctual reactions that most people imagine. The problem is that you lose that forward momentum instantly and are hurled into the direction of the blowout.
Steering will be a more automatic response because we’re always compensating for side forces while driving. For instance we adjust for cross winds and trucks passing us without giving it much thought. It’s a normal part of driving and has become second nature to us. So by controlling our forward momentum with the accelerator, steering corrections should be automatic.
Preparation Through Education
After seeing this video a few years ago, I found myself getting into a routine before each trip of visualizing a tire blowout emergency and how to properly handle it. I hope to never be tested on this, but now the idea of accelerating through a blowout feels like a natural response to me.
Michelin produced this video for RVIA in conjunction with the Nevada Automotive Test Center and it can be found at the Michelin RV Tire site if you’d like to check it out. They say they can’t guarantee success, but that is stating the obvious. At least now I have some physics and real world testing to come up with a better plan than I would have on my own. I think the video is so valuable, that I’ve uploaded it here for easy access. The video also addresses key points regarding prevention of a blowout in the first place, as well as wearing your seat belt to keep you in position in case of a blowout.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPbG2WOAwBM&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
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