Tire Blowouts

Blame shifting may be the easy way out when it comes to an accident. One person always wants to blame the next guy for not fixing the problem, and so the story goes. The truth is, if everyone takes proper responsibility instead of shifting the burden onto someone else, many accidents could be avoided. Tire blowouts are one of the most common causes of truck accidents, and they are also one of the easiest to prevent. Everyone in the trucking industry plays a role in preventing these types of accidents. There are part manufacturers, maintenance workers and the drivers themselves.

One cause of tire blowouts is defective tires. The obvious way to prevent this kind of fault is to go to the source. Product manufacturers, especially of a part as essential to safety as vehicle tires, are responsible for assembling quality tires that meet all national highway standards. Even when product manufacturers produce good quality tires, the next tier of responsibility lies with the tire sellers. When tires sit in warehouses for extended periods of time, they become more brittle and prone to breaking. This is why accurate labeling of tires is so important.

Tire blowouts can also be caused by improper maintenance. Commercial trucks must undergo maintenance frequently so that any defects can be detected. Maintenance must not only be frequent, but it most also be thorough. Truck drivers are also responsible for checking their tires. If they notice that their tires are faulty, they must take the necessary steps to repair them before continuing to drive. When trucks have to stop at scales they may be ticketed if their tires are defective or underinflated. Trucks run the risk of being involved in serious collisions such as jackknife accidents when they travel for extended periods of time on underinflated tires.

One way that the trucking industry started repairing their tires on a budget was retreading. Retreading is simply making repairs to an already worn out tire. The old tread of the tire is smoothed away and a new rubber casing is applied to it. Obviously, this is not as safe as replacing a tire completely with a new one. If you were injured in a truck accident, it may have been because of faulty tires that caused a blowout. Even though trucks have many tires, it only takes one blowout to cause the entire truck to jackknife or rollover. A truck accident investigation will show accurately what the cause was.

Arnold & Itkin is a personal injury firm that focuses on defending the rights of those who have become injured in truck accidents. If you were injured in a truck accident and an investigation points to tire blowout as the cause, you can file a claim against the trucking company with the help of this firm. Visit the firm's website for more information on how they can help you get compensation.