Hazard Ahead: Tips for Avoiding Road Debris

Never underestimate the destructive power of an inanimate object in the roadway. A shredded tire–or any large debris–poses significant risks to you and your vehicle.

“Road debris can be damaging to vehicles, especially if it’s kicked up by someone else and becomes airborne,” said Noel Houze, the national secretary for the American Association of State Troopers. “Also, how people react to objects in the roadway can be dangerous.”

Houze suggests maintaining a safe following distance of several car lengths to stay on the lookout for road debris.

“Watch the behavior of the cars around you. Are they swerving to avoid something?”

Sometimes you simply can’t avoid hitting an object in the road. A sharp swerve in heavy traffic isn’t an option because there are vehicles nearby. Houze advises motorists to try and minimize the damage in those cases.

“There are times it might be best to just take on the object,” he said. “You have to do your best to slow down or straddle it. It may be better to run over the board or whatever instead of swerving into the vehicle beside you.”

Houze offers the following tips for spotting and avoiding road debris:

• Leave a safe following distance: Leave several car lengths of distance between you and the vehicle you’re behind whenever possible to buffer against sudden stops.
• Pay attention to those around you: Are the vehicles ahead swerving or slowing down to avoid something? Pay attention to their movements and react accordingly.
• Minimize the damage: Slow down or straddle the debris with your vehicle if you simply can’t avoid the object. Swerving into another vehicle could cause significant harm.