When you’re driving, you expect to encounter distracted or impatient drivers and people driving too fast or too slow, but you rarely expect to see tire pieces coming at you down the road or a large truck suddenly swerving sporadically because of a tire failure. Unfortunately, tire failure happens due to a number of reasons, and the results can be quite damaging.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 622 total motor vehicle fatalities in 2021 due to tire-related issues. In a 2012 Crash Causation Survey, the NHTSA found that 9% of tire-related accidents occurred with tires that already had problems before the crash.
Top Reasons for Tire Failure
Hours of Service (HOS) regulations from the U.S. Department of Transportation allow truck drivers to spend 11 consecutive hours on the road, which puts a lot more wear and tear on their vehicles more quickly than most passenger vehicles. Because of this time constraint on working hours, truckers often push the limits of their trucks, and they drive over all kinds of terrain in all kinds of weather during their driving shifts, which increases the risk of their tires failing. These are the most common reasons tires, particularly those on large trucks, can fail:
- Under-inflation: There is a recommended tire pressure for each type of tire and each vehicle, and if those guidelines aren’t followed, driving for long hours on hot roads causes the tires to degrade and rupture.
- Overloading: Tires of all kinds are rated to handle a certain amount of weight. While that weight might be a lot for large trucks, they can still be overloaded, putting too much weight on the tires and causing blowouts.
- Poor maintenance or installation: This can be caused by irregular wear due to misalignment or worn suspension parts, which over time can lead to weak spots on the tires, resulting in a flat tire. Additionally, if tires are not installed correctly or not properly mounted or seated, then they are likely to fail.
- Road hazards: Any kind of debris on the road that our tires run over can cause tire failure, especially bigger objects or nails, screws, and sharp material like metal. These can puncture tires and cause blowouts. If you hit a pothole at a high rate of speed, that can cause tire ruptures, too.
- Weather: We can’t predict the weather, but when temperatures change, especially sudden cold when it was just hot out, the air pressure of the tires is affected. It’s important to know the weather you’re going to be driving in and check the air pressure of your tires before you get on the road.
- Speed: Driving at high rates of speed on tires not rated for high speeds is not safe, especially if the tires are worn, and the weather and roads are hot. Truck drivers who drive too fast for the rating of their tires are at greater risk for tire failure.
- Manufacturer’s defect: Sometimes, despite all the maintenance and care we put into our tires, there are still defects that affect the life of the tire and can cause catastrophic, random blowouts or damage when we drive.
All of these things are important to know and pay attention to if you drive any vehicle, but they are especially important for drivers of large trucks because of the sheer amount of time they spend on the road. If a truck has a blowout, it can cause the vehicle to get out of control and cause an accident or pieces of the failed tire to spread across the road, causing road hazards for other drivers.
How To Avoid Accidents From Tire Failure
While we can’t control what precautions truck drivers take to ensure their tires remain safe and in one piece while driving, we certainly can make sure the tires of our own vehicles are in good shape. Tires can have manufacturer defects, and if you’ve experienced a tire problem that you believe to be a safety defect, you can file a complaint on the NHTSA website. You can also check their website to see if your vehicle’s tires are part of a recall.
Some other tire safety tips include:
- Check your tire pressure once a month
- Make note of any excessive wear or bald patches
- Remove any small debris like rocks from the tire treads
- Slow down if you see a pothole or other road hazard
- Don’t run over curbs
- Make sure your tire valves have caps
- Check your tire pressure before long trips
- Don’t overload your vehicle
Remember that if you’re towing a trailer, some of the weight of that trailer transfers to the towing vehicle and can put too much weight on tires that may not be rated for it.
Compensation in the Aftermath
Any kind of accident involving trucks can be devastating and sometimes deadly, especially if injuries and large amounts of damage occur. Our Charleston team of expert truck accident lawyers at DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC is here to help you through the process of getting the compensation you deserve when you’ve been in an accident due to the failure of truck tires.
