Front tyre blowout on a divided highway
You are driving a light sedan at about 100 km/h in the left lane of a divided rural highway. Without warning, the left front tyre bursts. The steering wheel pulls hard to the left and the car begins to slow. A concrete median barrier is 1.5 metres to your left, a truck is 30 metres behind you, and the hard shoulder is about 200 metres ahead on the right. There are three passengers in the car. The car has working hazard lights and a warning triangle in the boot, but no high-visibility vest. You have driven this route many times and feel tempted to steer straight to the shoulder immediately. The steering wheel is shaking. The road is dry and visibility is good.
1. Describe your immediate control actions after the blowout.
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Grip the steering wheel firmly with both hands and keep the car straight. Do not yank the wheel toward the shoulder, even though the shoulder is only 200 metres ahead, because a sudden steering input at 100 km/h can cause a loss of control. Ease off the accelerator smoothly and let the car slow. Do not brake hard; a hard brake on a deflating front tyre can pull the car into the median barrier or into the truck behind. Switch on hazard lights early. Check the mirror, signal right, and begin a gentle move to the right only after the car has slowed substantially. The shaking wheel and pull are symptoms of the burst tyre, not instructions to fight the wheel violently.
2. Where should you stop, and what should you do after stopping?
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Stop as far onto the right-hand shoulder as possible, away from the traffic lane. Apply the parking brake, switch off the engine and keep hazard lights on. Passengers should exit on the side away from traffic and stand behind the barrier or well off the carriageway, not next to the car. If it is safe, place the warning triangle behind the vehicle - at least 50 metres back on a fast road, and further if visibility or traffic speed requires it. Without a high-visibility vest, keep everyone off the carriageway and do not stand between the car and the truck. Call the emergency services or recovery service, and give the road, direction and nearest marker if you can see one.
3. A passenger has a bleeding cut from broken glass. What first-aid awareness applies while you wait?
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First make sure the scene is safe: traffic is the immediate danger, so move the injured person away from the carriageway only if this can be done without exposing anyone to more risk. Wear gloves or use a clean plastic bag if available. Apply direct pressure to the cut with a clean cloth or dressing, and keep pressing until bleeding is controlled. Do not remove embedded glass; pad around it instead. If the person feels faint, lie them down and raise the legs slightly, unless that causes pain or is inappropriate. Watch for signs of shock - pale skin, sweating, confusion, rapid breathing - and call for emergency help. Do not give food or drink to a seriously injured person.