How a tyre burst almost sent me to my creator

Mable Twegumye Zake's #BitsOfMe&You

Fri 18 Mar, 2022

By Mable Twegumye Zake

Tags:

mable twegumye z... tyre burst

Bits of ME

Death in a car accident can come to you faster than any killer disease.

The sound erupted so loud like a popped balloon.

My hands nearly jumped off the steering wheel as shocking waves immersed my body.

Something is wrong, I told myself as my sing-along voice to the car radio music disappeared into the loud bang.

Before I could bring myself to think, my little car had turned into a monster. It had completely lost its mechanical sense.

Diverging left to right, I steadily pressed tightly on the steering wheel trying not to let go.

My unappealing loud screams enveloped the atmosphere as my body was pushed by the force of the wild monster whose behind tyre had burst.

I could hear the screeching sound of the ream on the tarmac and the unbalanced car body wobbling.

Off the highway on the northern bypass the monster forcefully veered off the Bwaise flyover right to left wildly swaying me across the Masanafu freeway.

I accidentally with full force rammed into a boda boda cyclist!

I could visibly see the motorcycle stuck within the bumper of my car and getting undercarriage. I imagined the cyclist was under the ruins.

I was frighteningly shuddering. By the time the monster came to a stop, I could barely feel my body. The hysteric cries that emanated out of my throat drowned out the loud calls of rescue outside of my car.

I survived unhurt, the boda boda cyclist endured minor injuries.

Tyre blowout, unexpected on Christmas day 2021 as I cruised to meet my famil. I had a brush with death but God said, not yet.

Bits of YOU

“Madamu ekigere wali toyina kukiteka ku buleki” my mechanic, Dumba Musa of “Ku Garage Ya Ddumba in Kyengera” would later retort loosely translated to mean, I wasn’t supposed to keep my foot on the brakes.

“Don’t blame me” I told him, certain that detail wasn’t part of the driving lessons I picked up in driving school. Don’t we all learn more about cars through experiences?

Tuesday February 22, 2022, the SC Villa team bus had an accident in Migyera about 147kms from Kampala on its way to Gulu as a result of a front tyre blowout.

Like I said, death in a car accident can come to you faster than any killer disease unless God says, not yet- the SC Villa team members survived with injuries.

Car diagnosis and repair specialist at Auto Diagnostic Center Najjera James Alemi says, tyre blowouts also known as bursts mean rapid loss of pressurized air from the tyre.

“When a tyre is damaged it is unable to hold pressure because all the air has escaped and you feel the car drop…there is loss of pressure. Sometimes it is accompanied by a loud explosion”, he explained.

Alemi warns, tyre bursts are deadly, can lead to the vehicle over turning and ultimate death of the occupants. The driver has a window of, “less than a second to take a decision between life and death”.

Dickson Rugundana, the head of the traffic charge at CPS said that most tyre burst incidents which are as a result of tyres which are either worn-out, expired or retreaded.

In such incidents, the driver is charged with driving a motor vehicle with old of defective tyres.

Rugundana who revealed most tyre bursts occur because of over-speeding pointed out that “in Uganda, the maximum speed limit for private vehicles (my car) is 100km but some people drive at 140km yet the tyres are not made for that speed unlike rally cars….”.

However, if the speed is controlled, chances of regulating the impact and survival are high.

Alemi recommends: “If you experience a tyre burst while driving, keep your composure and the car as straight as possible. Slowly remove your foot from the accelerator pedal and don't apply the brake pedal. Let your vehicle slow down gradually and pull to the side of the road.”

Inspector Rugundana advises, “…before you set off, check the tyres and while driving long distances, check the tyres every after 100km….”.

Signs of worn-out Car tyres