Tire blowouts are extremely dangerous because they may cause you to lose control of your vehicle. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that tire failure causes 11,000 vehicle accidents every year. In 2022, tire-related crashes caused 562 deaths.
Furthermore, in a study involving 5,470 car crashes over a two and a half year period, the National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey found that 9% were caused by tire problems. While 9% might not seem like a lot, it is still a big deal since tire-related crashes are scarier because they can seem completely random. Most people caught in a tire blowout likely crash because they’re caught by surprise and lose control.
However, tire blowouts aren’t random. Most blowouts are caused by a wide range of factors, including tire pressure, remaining tread life, existing tire damage, and added cargo weight.
May to October is usually called blowout season because more tire blowouts seemingly occur during these months.
Tire rubber is incredibly durable, but it does start to deteriorate at about 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
That said, high temperatures aren’t the main reason why tires blow out more frequently during the summer. The main cause of tire blowouts is underinflation. When a tire is underinflated, the sidewall flexes more and creates more heat. The tire also has a larger surface area making contact with the road, which results in more friction and even higher tire temperatures. Asphalt’s dark color also means it absorbs more sunlight, making the tarmac quite hot. On a 90-degree day, asphalt can reach 150 degrees. All of these factors combined can result in a tire’s catastrophic failure, or what we call a blowout.
A tire that’s inflated at 25% less air pressure than recommended is going to be at risk of a sidewall blowout. This is why it’s important to keep an eye on your tire pressures or make sure your tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) is working properly. Unfortunately, only 42% of drivers regularly check their tire pressure and just 58% could correctly identify a TPMS warning light on their dashboards.
Preventing blowouts, especially during the summer, can be as simple as properly inflating your vehicle’s tires.
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