Truck accidents are often caused by defective tires. Truck tire blowouts are often due to serious road hazards often resulting in fatal accidents and severe injuries.
Most of us have witnessed the remnants of a blown truck tire tossed across the highway at one point or another. We’ve likely even had to perform some skillful maneuvering in order to avoid running over those ‘road gators’ (as they’re referred to) or to avoid them hitting our cars after the vehicle in front of us ran over them.
Did you know that debris that litters the highway causes more than 25,000 collisions and over 100 fatalities every year in Canada and the United States? According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, blown tire pieces are the number one debris in the road.
Proper Inflation Importance
Research has proven that the majority of scrap rubber and tire debris on the road is caused by under-inflated tires, making a tire prone to flats and cuts. As a tire on a truck comes apart, it often can cause a failure within other tires, either from a debris puncture or from additional tires carrying a disproportionate share of the load, causing tire failure and overheating.
The majority of tire-associated truck accidents are caused by improper tire inflation. These collisions are avoidable; truckers should maintain the right level of inflation for a given load and tire size. It isn’t the tire, yet the air inside a tire which carries the vehicle’s weight, absorbs shock and will keep the tire within its correct shape in order for it to operate as designed. It’s the one of the most important factors for ensuring a long and safe tire life.
Tires flex as they roll, bending the rubber and steel cords on a tire. The flexing generates heat, and tire wear includes the consequence of friction developed between the surface of the road and the tread as the tire is rolling along. Heat includes the worst enemy of a tire. A tire which is improperly inflated doesn’t roll as easily and smoothly as it was made to roll.
As tires are over-inflated, excess wear happens at the core of the tread because it’ll bear most of the truck’s weight. Over-inflated tires usually don’t absorb road hazards such as potholes and debris in the road, raising the risk of impact damage or sustaining a puncture.
Safety Steps
Tire pressure only should be checked when the tire is cool. Once a truck has been driven, the tires warm up and there’s an increase in air pressure, which results in an inaccurate reading. Upon driving a truck, a tire that is hot may take several hours to cool.
Alignment and tire pressure must be checked on a consistent basis. When inspecting his or her truck, a truck driver must look out for tire injuries and wheel problems. Rubbing your hand alongside the sidewalls and tread to feel for issues such as cuts, flat spots, bulges, shoulder wear, sidewall damage, etc. is a good method to checking for obvious issues. These quick and simple checks may assist you in avoiding, or at least minimizing the amount of catastrophic collisions.
Truck Accident Lawyer West Palm Beach
Truck Accident Lawyers in Florida at Fetterman & Associates, PA is ready to fight for you if you have been the victim of negligence in a truck accident. We offer comprehensive legal services to those who have been involved in serious commercial truck accidents. Contact us today at 561-845-2510. We’re ready to represent you and ensure that you receive justice.