I’ve heard stories of stray tyres wreaking havoc on speeding vehicles on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Exressway many times, but have never experienced it.
Driving from Berger to Arepo on Friday, I came very close to it.
Just a little after Kara bridge, a huge tyre bounced from the median into the Ibadan-bound traffic. It was of the biggest type, and I had no idea if it was rolled by someone or it came off a speeding trailer.
I was probably doing between 80 and 100kph and had barely passed when it actually landed on the fast lane and rolled across the rest of the lanes.
An unfortunate driver collided with it at full speed, smashing the tyre into shreds and wrecking the entire front of the vehicle. But the driver remained calm and managed to let the car coast to a stop. It could have been worse. A wide swerve would have led the driver to lose control, or he could have run into another fast moving vehicle.
The incident serves as a reminder why a motorist should have his two hands firmly on the wheels, especially when doing anything more than 80kph.
At high speeds, when an emergency occurs, such as an unexpected object bounding towards you, you have only nanoseconds to react. Scrambling the second hand to take necessary action may take most of the nanoseconds needed to save the day.
Yes, you sometimes get weary planting both hands on the steering, and yes, it is cool driving with one hand on the steering while planting the second hand on the car window. But an emergency does not serve a prior notice and it could make the difference between life and death.
