As the heatwave continues, truck tire blowout accidents have been occurring one after another on highways.

According to the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency's traffic division yesterday (August 6), at around 10:40 a.m. that day, the rear-right tire of a 1-ton truck driven by a person surnamed A blew out near Songtan Bridge on the Pyeongtaek-Jecheon Expressway toward Pyeongtaek in Pyeongtaek.

Due to the accident, the vehicle lost balance, causing plastic construction materials such as pipes loaded in the truck bed to spill onto the road.

No one was injured, but traffic congestion continued for about an hour as police controlled lanes 1 and 2 out of the three one-way lanes to handle the situation.

Earlier, at 4:18 p.m. on August 5, an accident occurred when the driver-side front tire of a truck driven by a person surnamed B blew out near the Icheon IC on the Yeongdong Expressway toward Incheon in Icheon.

No secondary accident occurred as driver B immediately steered the vehicle to the shoulder and brought it to a stop.

An eyewitness to the accident said, "At the time, the tire burst, sending up dust and debris," adding, "It is a relief that a major accident did not happen."

A police official said, "Truck tires are often worn out, making them vulnerable to the high temperatures of highway asphalt heated by the scorching heat," and added, "Since tire blowouts during driving can lead to major accidents, drivers' special attention, such as checking tire pressure during the summer, is required."

(Photo provided by reader, Yonhap News)