Once again, tyre safety has been brought to the fore by a very serious incident which thankfully ended well in this case. One Show presenter and stand-up comedian Jason Manford was left feeling very lucky, after he managed to walk away unscathed from a double tyre blow out on the M6 motorway. Jason was travelling to a gig in Swindon in the fast lane at around 70mph when the incident happened.

Both tyres on the driver’s side blew out leaving the driver fighting for control, he managed to steer the car safely through two lanes of traffic and stop on the hard shoulder. Jason later put out a call for help on Twitter which resulted in him getting a lift from some dedicated fans, albeit too late to make the gig.

He also posted on his Facebook profile to let fans know he was alright and to explain the reason he didn’t turn up for the gig at the Wyvern Theatre.

“Hi folks of Swindon, I’m really sorry about tonight’s accident and then the gig being cancelled so last minute. We had two tyres blow out on the driver’s side, in the third lane of the motorway, and amazingly we managed to get to the hard shoulder without hitting anything. By the time we were rescued, I wouldn’t have got to you till after 10pm. I’ll rearrange & be back soon. Take care. Jason”

Jason citied the quick thinking and skilful control of the driver, tour manager Alex Adamson, as the only reason the incident didn’t end up being far more serious, “Poor Alex Adamson’s still shaking. I was in passenger seat, think a little bit of wee came out while he got us across 3 lanes in 5 seconds!”

What causes a tyre blowout?

Tyre blow outs can be caused by various problems, the under inflation of the tyre is one of the most common causes. When the tyre is under inflated it can begin to bulge when the lack of pressure allows the car to push the tyre down. This bulge will begin to ripple at high speeds and will cause friction within the tyre. Friction will obviously lead to heat and eventually this will become too much for the tyre to take and it bursts, sometimes in rare occasions causing the tyre to become engulfed in flames.

Under inflation arises most commonly as a result of a slow puncture caused by a sharp object, repeated bumps or kerbing and poor tyre maintenance. Remember to check your tyre pressures regularly otherwise you could be risking a blow out and might not be as lucky as Jason.

What should you do if a tyre blows out?

If a front tyre blows out it’s important to keep a very firm grip on the steering wheel and attempt to keep the car stable. It will start to pull severely to the side with the blown tyre and leaving this unchecked will obviously cause you to either hit the central reservation or other traffic.

If possible avoid hitting the brakes hard, if you need to brake (to avoid hitting the vehicle in front) then try to do so gently. Braking too hard can exaggerate the already severe pulling to the left or right, meaning you’ll collide with something much sooner (ironically). Try to let the car lose speed on its own and move across the lanes onto the hard shoulder.

If it’s a rear tyre you’ll find the car begins to weave across the road, again letting the car slow naturally is the best option here if possible. Using the brakes in the event of a rear blow out is ok, it’ll cause the car to move most of its weight onto the front, taking pressure off the rear car tyres. Be alert to the car beginning to slide about if you’re using the brakes. Changing down a gear can help you to slow the car if using the brakes causes you to slide about too much.

What should you do after a blow out?

Assuming you’ve made it to the hard shoulder safely, you should now put your hazard warning lights on and exit the car via the passenger door to avoid any risk of being injured by passing traffic. Stand behind any safety barrier or well back from the car itself.

Obviously you’ll need your spare tyre fitting but this should never be attempted on the hard shoulder of a motorway, always call your breakdown provider. They will transport you and your car to the nearest safe area, most likely a motorway services. Once the spare is fitted your should be on your way but there is the possibility that the wheel itself maybe have been damaged, depending on how far and how fast you’ve travelled on the blown out tyre. If that’s the case you’ll probably need towing to a garage for further repairs.

(Picture credits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielfarrell/2844101132/ & http://www.flickr.com/photos/thequeenshall/4074881144/)