Just a little safety post. :)

bluekid · December 2010

What with the cold weather we've been having, it may be a good time to check your tires for cracks and weathering. I had a blowout on the turnpike this morning, and it was a little freaky. I was lucky in that I wasn't going terribly fast, and I was near an exit so that I could get off the road quickly.

My dad thought it could have been catastrophic, and said that the best way to handle a blowout is to sort of do a controlled coast off to the side of the road (or off an exit if you can make it), rather than slamming on your brakes, because that can make you skid. The controlled coast thing was instinctual in my case, so I lucked out, but I was glad to know that anyway.

I also found out that your tires can start becoming dangerous only after three years. My tires were only three years old, and all four of them were cracked, which was what caused the blowout on one of them.

Be careful out there, gals.

Steven&Jamie · December 2010

Yikes! Blowouts are scary, glad you're okay!

Tires are an easy thing for me to forget about. I replaced 2 of my tires about a month or two ago because DH noticed they were in desperate need of being replaced when he was putting new brake pads on my car. Thanks for the tips. Yes

Dannyand Allison · December 2010

EdenJaine · December 2010

I had a blow out on I-35 last month. It is scary! The key is, like you said, do not slam on the brakes. Just slowly slow down to safety. Glad you're OK.

SunnyDaze31 · December 2010

To add to your safety post, don't forget to check your spare tire too. I cleaned out my trunk recently and noticed that the air pressure in my spare was visibly low, understandable since I haven't put any air in it in the several years I've had my car. If I had to use my spare like that, it wouldn't get me much further than a flat tire would.

bluekid · December 2010

SunnyDaze31:
To add to your safety post, don't forget to check your spare tire too. I cleaned out my trunk recently and noticed that the air pressure in my spare was visibly low, understandable since I haven't put any air in it in the several years I've had my car. If I had to use my spare like that, it wouldn't get me much further than a flat tire would.

Ooh, good point!

amidavey06 · December 2010

Wow! Glad everything turned out ok. That really is a scary situation.

We are actually getting new tires on the cars this weekend. Thanks for the tip!

kayleeb · December 2010

Thanks for the reminder! I have to drive on I-40 everyday on my way to work after I drop off DH at work. That would be a horrible place to have a blowout since it's all pretty much a bridge and there are no shoulders!