Many people have great fear of a tire blow out, but that fear is greater than it should be and here is the reason why. In years gone by, early fifties and prior years the cars didn't have Power Steering and they had very Large Tires. When a blow out occurred on one of these cars you needed extra strength to maintain control of the vehicle. Remember power steering does just what its name implies, it adds power to your steering. Without power steering it was your physical strength applied through the steering box and linkage that turned your vehicle. Many times during a blow out in those early cars the steering wheel could be jerked completely out of your hands and the car would pull you in the direction of the blown tire immediately. So if the left front tire blew out for instance your car would be pulled to the left. The problem was that in those early days, most roads in this country were just two lanes of traffic instead of freeways. If you were suddenly pulled into the oncoming traffic you stood a good chance for a head on collision.

Head on collisions caused many deaths in those days's due to lack of seat belts and shoulder harness, not to mention air bags. These cars weren't equipped with them. So the fear of a blow out was a major concern amongst drivers of all ages. So why do we fear blow outs today you ask? Well unfortunately some of these same people like yours truly are still around that drove those cars. These grandfathers and grandmothers are talking to their grandchildren and scaring them about the dreaded blow out not really realizing the real reason it was very dangerous for them, but not for you. So come on folks, allow me to re-educate you a little ok?

You may say who are you to be educating me? Good question. For what it is worth, I grew up driving those old cars from the age of eight. I drove like a wild man and I had my share of blow outs. I was poor and did a lot of driving on bald tires, so blow outs were a common occurrence for me and my friends growing up. I street raced for beer money in my teens and raced modified cars on dirt tracks in my early twenties. I've been a big rig truck driver most of my adult life and continue to drive truck today at age 65. My son and I also own an Auto Repair Shop in Washington State and specialize in brakes.

Now please don't get me wrong. A blow out can be very dangerous especially under certain conditions such as driving a pickup with a camper or large load in the

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