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One of the worst things that can occur to you while driving is a tire blowout. They're annoying, they can be expensive, and they can lead to a very dangerous situation. In addition to the above grievances, you might be liable for an accident caused by a tire blowout. This brief article will define tire blowouts, explain what you can do in the case that you experience a tire blowout, and discuss how you very well may be liable for damages incurred by others during an accident if you experience a tire blowout.

Why Do Tires Blowout?

There is actually a tire blowout season, running from roughly the beginning of May to the beginning of October. Why is this the case? The reason is that heat is one of the main culprits of tire blowouts. Heat expands the innards of the rubber of the tire past its casing, causing the tire to blowout.

Another strong contender for number one cause of tire blowouts is extra weight in your car, whether from overloading it with a move or transporting too many passengers. Although this seems unlikely, the amount of weight your car can handle does have a litmus. It is recommended that you consult your car's handbook in order to discover how much of a load your vehicle can handle.

Another primary reason for tire blowout is underinflation. If your tires are not properly inflated, the chances of you experiencing a blowout are quite great. When tires are underinflated, they essentially have to work overtime in order to get the results that they need. This causes the internal components of the tire to overheat and eventually snap or breakdown, causing tire blowout.

What Should You Do If Your Tire Blows Out?

Although this seems counterintuitive, the first thing you should do if you experience a tire blowout, is to not press your brakes. Rather, you should accelerate for a brief moment. The reason for this is that pressing your brakes can grind upon the blown out tire, causing you to lose control of the car. However, you will not speed up if you accelerate while dragging behind a blown out tire. In fact, this will allow you to maintain your current speed and not quickly grind to halt, which can spell disaster and potential accident.

The next thing you should do is keep calm and guide your car to the side of the road. Again, do not tap the brakes, allow your vehicle to naturally coast and slow down to the side of the road, slowing down greatly before tapping the breaks.

The best thing you can do from here is call a nearby professional to examine the extent of the damage. You do not just want to merely change the tire, as the wheel and axle could have become damaged during the tire blowout.

Can You Be Held Liable For An Accident Caused By A Blowout?

It is important to know why tires blow out and what to do in the event of a tire blowout because you could be found liable in court for an accident caused by a tire blowout. There are several factors that can go into determining whether you can be considered liable for an accident caused by a tire blowout while you were driving.

If a prosecutor can determine negligence, then you can most definitely be held responsible for an accident caused by a blowout. Negligence can be considered a sort of ignoring of warning signs that your tire would be subject to a blowout, or an outright disregard for the health of your tire. For example, if you noticed that the tread on your tires was wearing thing, neglected to get new tires and then had a tire blowout causing an accident, you would be negligent. 

The duty to inspect one's tires is the onus of the owner of the car, and if you fail to perform this duty, you can very well be held responsible for damages.

If you are being sued for an accident and you and your car accident lawyer have determined that the blowout was caused due to a manufacturing or design defect, the manufacturer of the tire might be held negligent and have to pay damages, not you. However, if the tire has been proven to be of a poor performing quality or was recalled and you neglected to change the tire, the negligence falls on you.

Experiencing tire blowout can be a painful and scary experience and can sometimes lead to a lawsuit. If you take the time to prevent tire blowouts and know how to act when a tire blowout occurs, hopefully you won't ever be in the position of being sued for an accident due to your car's tire blowout. If you are facing a lawsuit  because of an accident, make sure you contact an experienced law firm like Hardee and Hardee LLP.