Aussie road tripper reveals terrifying mishap
A man driving a van on a lengthy road trip has warned other road users to double check one detail before setting off.
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An experienced camper has recalled the terrifying moment something went horribly wrong on a 10-day road trip while towing a caravan.
The man has issued a warning to other road users following his scary ordeal, which began when he started feeling a “little sway” and heard a grinding noise coming from behind his car.
A truck driver then radioed the man after spotting the problem – the tyres on one of his camper wheels had been completely shredded.
“The tyre disappeared,” the man wrote in a post to social media on Thursday.
Prior to setting off on the 3000km journey, the man said the tyres “looked good” and had “lots of meat”, but never thought to check their age.
As he later learned, they were manufactured in 2011 and were on their last legs.
It was the man’s first “blowout” in about 20 years, during which he owned four vans.
“So friends, before you head off either on a short trip or that dream trip, always check the dates of the tyres,” he warned.
“You never know, it may save your life, your loved ones, and others on the road.”
Since the dramatic experience, the man’s van has been fitted with a new set of tyres.
Hundreds agreed with his message and dozens shared scary ordeals of their own.
“Had the same blow out on dual axle caravan. Total let go and yes I did have a tyre monitor on the vehicle and caravan,” one driver shared.
“I’ve had that happen on my trailer a few times with tyres less than two years old. I changed to a good quality light truck tyre over 10 years ago and no problems since,” another said.
“I had this happen to my camper trailer and I bought a second hand tyre to replace the other one and the tyre guy wouldn’t use it because of the date. Even though the tyre looked brand new. My blow out also started a grass fire,” a third said.
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