Skillful truck driver maintains control during high speed tire blowout

Tires don't last forever and most of us have experienced a flat tire at some point or another. But few people have to suffer a tire that blows out during higher speed driving, as this truck driver did on a Canadian highway recently.

This is Highway 115 north of Toronto, Ontario. It's a 4 lane highway with a grass median in between. The posted speed limit is 100km/h (60mph) but the general tolerance here is such that driving at 115 or 120km/h will rarely attract the attention of law enforcement. Traffic in the right lane is going roughly 115km/h and the driver in the truck has pulled into the left lane to go around them. Etiquette and common sense require the truck driver to complete the pass smoothly and then promptly move into the right lane. He has increased his speed to a little over 130km/h (80mph) to do all of this in a brief period of time.

But as the truck hits a patched section of highway, the right, rear tire suddenly pops with an audible bang. The car behind the truck would like to get back into the right lane as well and he has been following at the same speed as the truck. His dash camera captures the moment that the tire bursts and the truck swerves abruptly.

This could be a dangerous moment as the truck might have gone out of control and caused an accident. The driver of the truck quickly pulls things together, straightens out the vehicle and compensates for his loss of steering. He slows calmly and then moves over into the right lane which is clear. This is what would be expected and other drivers will move into the left lane to go around him. All of this is in keeping with the applicable laws and expected reactions of other drivers.

As the truck reaches the slower lane on the right, the driver begins to look for a spot to pull over. He has a guard rail blocking him but his tire is starting to fragment and he knows that it will not stay on the rim if he doesn't get the truck stopped.

Traffic around the truck moved left and carefully passed as the truck reached the safety of the gravel shoulder. Tragedy was avoided due to the calm and controlled efforts of a skillful driver.