4 students killed after high speed tyre burst

Tyre bursts are one of the primary reasons for road accidents in India. In a similar incident, four students of a Noida college lost their lives on Sunday. Here’s what happened.

Killer tyre burst

On Sunday afternoon, ten friends, who are all student of Galgotia University decided to go to a multiplex in Greater Noida to watch a movie. The students were travelling in a white Mahindra Xylo which was driven by 21-year-old Tushar Gupta. The Xylo was an eight-seater variant and was overloaded at the time of the incident.

The survivor of the incident said that Tushar was driving at extremely high-speed and was overtaking vehicles by changing lanes quickly. The car was being driven at more than 100 km/h on the Greater Noida expressway. Tushar lost the control of the vehicle after a tyre burst, and it rammed against the metal railing on the side.

The driver lost his life at the spot. The metal railing had pierced through the vehicle to kill other occupants on the vehicle too. While four of the occupants have lost their lives, two of them are critical. The car had topped after losing the control.

Sharif Ahmed, an eyewitness who suffered injuries in both legs, said,

“Tushar was driving the SUV at a speed of 100 km/hour. I told him to slow down, but he did not listen to me or the others. The road was a little narrow when he started overtaking the car. The tyre burst and he lost control over the car which toppled and I lost consciousness.”

Tyre bursts and how to be safe

Tyre bursts can instantly cause the driver to lose control if the vehicle is at high speed. Here are few tips that can avoid such situations.

• Always inspect the tyres regularly for any cuts or wear and tear. Tyres should have a minimum of 1.5 mm of tread that provides grip to the vehicle.
• Never over speed, speed limits are imposed after keeping the condition of the road in mind. Concrete surfaces can heat up the tyres quicker than tarmac surfaces.
• SUVs and high speed do not go hand in hand. Due to high ground clearance, SUVs tend to have more body roll, and are difficult to control during high-speed turns.
• Always keep optimum tyre pressure recommended by the manufacturer. Under-inflated tyres can heat up quickly while over-inflated tyres can cause the car to not provide adequate grip and skid.
• Overloading also causes tyre bursts. Overloading put undue pressure on the tyres and can cause them to blow out.
• Driving over a long distance in hot weather conditions without taking breaks can also cause tyre burst.

What to do during tyre bursts?

• If the inevitable happens, do not panic. Never slam the brakes else the car will lose control.
• Try gentle inputs to the steering and the brakes to make the car go in a straight line.
• Accelerating the car gently after the tyre burst can keep it in a straight line. After this, you can try to bring the vehicle to stop slowly.

Via: HT, HT1