Photo courtesy of
Loddprevention.com
Ben Lang died when the
ambulance he was riding in crashed into a tree.
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The following article is
dedicated to Firefighter/EMT Ben Lang. Ben was tragically
killed in 2004 when the ambulance he was riding in hydroplaned
on a wet road, overturned and crashed. Ben was wearing
his seatbelt and sitting in the captain's chair in the rear of
the ambulance at the time of the crash. Please visit
www.loddprevention.com
for more information and to support his mother's
cause.
In recent years, there have been a
number of fire service injuries and fatalities that were a
direct result of tire-related crashes. Few people realize the
importance of keeping a vehicle's tires in proper working
condition. Tire pressure, tire tread depth and road
conditions all play an important role in keeping your vehicle
safely on the road.
The portion of the tire which is in direct contact with the
road surface is known as the "contact patch." This contact
patch allows your vehicle to accelerate, steer and stop. Any
compromise of this contact patch will adversely affect the
safety of your vehicle.
A contact patch is only about the size of your hand. When
you consider that there are usually between four to 10 tires
on a fire service vehicle, you can see that there is actually
very little contact between your vehicle and the road surface.
For this reason, we must ensure that as much of this contact
patch touches the road surface as possible. This is
accomplished by keeping a close eye on tire pressure and tire
tread depth during your routine maintenance checks.
A bald tire actually provides more traction on a roadway
then a treaded tire. This is because there is more rubber
actually meeting the road surface, thereby creating a larger
contact patch. However, bald tires provide poor traction on
wet roadways. As emergency responders, we must often fight
adverse weather conditions such as rain, snow and ice during
routine and emergency responses. For this reason, tire
manufacturers place tread on tires. Tire tread is
designed to channel rain, slush and snow away from the tire
face, allowing the tire to stay in contact with the road
surface.
As your tire rotates around the axel, the tire tread is
constantly "pushing" water out of the way and allowing the
tire to come into contact with the road. As it rotates, a
wedge of water will build up in front of the tire. If you are
traveling too fast and the tire does not have enough time to
push this wedge of water out of the way, the vehicle will rise
up on top of the water and the tire will lose contact with the
road surface. As a result, you will lose all steering and
braking control. This situation is what's known as
"hydroplaning."
Firm grip
Should you find yourself in a
hydroplane situation, research has shown that you should take
a firm grip of the steering wheel, take your foot off the
accelerator and do not touch the brakes. You
should attempt to keep your vehicle on a safe heading by not
turning the steering wheel. Hopefully, the vehicle will
regain traction and you will be able to safely control the
situation.
There is little that you can do
to remove yourself from a hydroplane situation once it
happens. Instead, it is important to prevent this situation
all together. The best way to prevent your vehicle from
hydroplaning is to slow down in wet or inclement
weather. The faster you go, the more likely you are to
hydroplane. It is not uncommon to see vehicles hydroplane at
speeds as low as 30-40 mph.
In addition to
slowing down in bad weather, keeping a close eye on the
condition of your tires will also help keep your vehicle safe.
A tire that is under inflated tends to hydroplane at slower
speeds. This is because there is less tire pressure inside of
the tire to push water out of the way. You should consult your
tire and vehicle manufacturer to determine the proper air
pressure that you should keep in your tire. Once you know how
much air to keep in the tire, make sure to check the tires
with a tire pressure gauge at least once a
week.
It is also important to keep a close eye on
the depth of your tire tread. Federal guidelines require
4/32 of an inch on your steering tires and no less than 2/32
of an inch on your rear tires. However, studies have shown
decreased performance in inclement weather when tire tread
reaches 5/32 of an inch or less. Purchase a tire tread depth
gauge at your local automotive store and keep a close eye on
the condition of your tire tread. When the tread reaches
5/32 of an inch, notify your fleet maintenance personnel and
begin the process of replacing your tires.
Hydroplaning is an extremely dangerous situation
that can be easily prevented through proper training and
maintenance on your vehicles. Ensure that your drivers
realize the importance of slowing down in wet
weather. By driving responsibly and performing regular
maintenance checks on your tires, vehicle safety will
improve.
