Vehicle Tire Safety
Target audience for this alert
For vehicles used on company business:
- All motor vehicle drivers
- All motor vehicle maintenance management teams
What happened
In two separate incidents, contractors in the Middle East were driving heavy goods vehicles. They were driving within posted speed limits and they were wearing their seatbelts. In both cases, without warning, a front tyre suffered a rapid pressure loss (a ‘blowout’) and the drivers lost control of their vehicles. In the first incident (24th Jan), the vehicle rolled over and the driver died as a result of his cab being crushed. In the second incident (27th Feb), the heavy vehicle swerved across the road and struck an oncoming pickup truck. The driver and passenger of the oncoming truck passed away. In total, three people lost their lives in these tragic incidents.
Why it happened
Immediate causes:
- The tyre was pierced by a sharp object from the road (most likely debris from road works).
