Bubble tyre spotted on car during Derbyshire school run as tyre develops external bulges

An external bulge is a round circle that develops on the outside of the tyre. According to tyre experts Continental, thus is caused when cords inside the tyre get destroyed through forceful impact with objects on the road. Derby City Council’s public protection team stopped the motorist to inspect the front tyre damage after the driver had used their car to drop their children off at school. Officers on duty advised the driver to head to a nearby garage to get their vehicle repaired instead of heading home. The incident was revealed to the public through a special social media post sent out by Derby’s public protection team on Twitter. 

Officials posted an image of the damaged tyre alongside another picture of a local officer who was seen next to the car he had stopped. 

Alongside the photo, was a caption which praised the officers work in spotting the incident which they say could have saved the driver.

It read: “Whilst out open patrol PPO 9712 witnessed this car on a school run. When it was safe to do so 9712 advised that the car came off the road and into a garage close by. New tyre now fitted. 

“Perhaps his actions saved this driver from a costly repair – or worse!”

Social media users were quick to remark at the discovery, with some hitting back at the officer’s actions and the driver behind the wheel. 

One user said: “Should have made them put it through an MOT as well! Imagine what the bits you can’t see are like?”

Another added: “Shocking. If someone has the level of intelligence to believe this is safe they shouldn’t be driving.”

One user attacked the police’s actions, adding: “And is the driver/owner going to be charged? I’m actually aghast that the PPO is pleased he got the vehicle to a garage! It shouldn’t have moved another inch. If the tyre was that blatantly bad, what else was wrong with it.” 

However, other social media users bounced to the driver’s defence, adding the motorist may not have known his car was in a bad condition. 

One user said: “It’s amazing the number of people who assumed the driver knew. I had a bike tire do this all in one single trip. It was normal when I left and unrideable about 2 hours later. The layers separate, air gets in and forms bubbles, and sometimes they pop.”

Driving over objects such as kerbs or speed bumps at pace or hitting them at a different angle can put stress on the carcass and cause the tyre cords to break. 

Continental says ignoring damage increases the risk of tyre failure through deamination of the tyre tread or disintegration of the sidewall. 

Greenflag says bulges can appear on either side of a car tyre and they urge motorists to check their tyres regularly. 

The company warns a bulging tyre sidewall would be enough to fail an MOT test as it would be considered a serious safety risk for drivers. 

MOT tests check tyres for wheel bearing issues or whether a tyre is likely to collapse. If this is the case it would be enough to brand a car as dangerous under the new MOT rules. 

Greenflag claims a bulging tyre could burst which would result in a motorist losing control of a vehicle and potentially leading to a big accident. 

The company did say that a bulging tyre could occasionally be down to a manufacturing defect and those that suffer the issue could be entitled to refunds or free tyre replacements. 

source: express.co.uk