Rear Tyre Blowout at 100 km/h on North Lantau Highway
You are driving a 5.5-tonne LGV on North Lantau Highway at 100 km/h in the middle lane. The vehicle carries 1,400 kg of ceramic tiles, close to its 1,500 kg payload. Without warning, the nearside rear tyre bursts. You hear a bang, the steering pulls left, and the rear of the vehicle steps out. There is a concrete barrier on the left, a hard shoulder about 2.5 m wide, and traffic passing on the right. A crosswind is blowing from the left. Your hands are on the wheel and you have not braked yet. The next exit is 1.2 km ahead; there is an emergency telephone 300 m behind you.
1. What are your first control actions in the seconds after the burst, and why?
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Keep both hands on the wheel, hold the vehicle straight and ease off the accelerator. Do not brake hard and do not steer sharply. A rear blowout makes the vehicle yaw; hard braking transfers weight forward, lightens the rear further and can spin the vehicle. Let the speed fall and make small, smooth steering corrections against the pull. Switch on the hazard warning lights, check mirrors, and look for the hard shoulder. The crosswind from the left will push you towards the barrier, so keep a firm but gentle correction.
2. Where should you stop, and how should you warn other traffic once stopped?
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Stop on the hard shoulder, as far left as possible and clear of the traffic lane; avoid stopping on a crest or bend if you can see a safer place. Exit from the left side, away from traffic, and keep passengers behind the barrier. Put out a warning triangle well behind the vehicle if it is safe to do so; on a high-speed road, place it at least 100 m back and never walk in a live lane. The emergency telephone 300 m behind is safer than standing behind the vehicle, and it gives the control centre your location. Do not attempt a wheel change with traffic passing at 100 km/h.
3. What checks and reports should you make before recovery arrives?
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Check the load: 1,400 kg of tiles may have shifted and could have damaged the body or the tyre. Check for fuel or brake-fluid leaks and for a damaged wheel or suspension. Call for recovery and report the incident to your employer. Do not drive on the burst tyre or on a damaged rim, and do not move the vehicle until it is safe to rejoin traffic. If the vehicle is in a live lane and cannot be moved, stay behind the barrier and call the emergency services.