The danger of vehicle tires coming off at high speed, a danger that many drivers are keen to avoid at all costs, took a scary and scary turn for the driver of the Kia Soul in the United States this past weekend.
Witnessed and recorded the most MEMORABLE car accident yesterday, you can see Autopilot also steal and avoid rouge tires for me $TSLA pic.twitter.com/csMh2nbRNX— Anoop (@Anoop_Khatra) March 25, 2023
In a video posted on social media, dashcam footage of Anoop Khatra’s Tesla driver on Los Angeles’ Ronald Regan Highway begins with a small hint of what’s to come and shows him passing a truck with the infamous Autopilot of an electric vehicle said to be in operation. .
At the nine-second mark, the camera captured the black Soul and the white Compass Jeep entering the picture, again without a hint of what happened.
Drama
The shocking moment came after 14 seconds when the Soul was about to pass a Chevrolet Silverado driving in the opposite lane, when the Silverado’s left front tire went flat before being pinned under the Kia.
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This caused the Soul to launch into the air where it did a full rotation before slamming back onto the highway as pieces of its disintegrating body and frame were scattered across the road.
Double insult to injury then occurred when the attacking wheel, which had disappeared from view, came back slamming into the back of the Soul before it could lose momentum and stop rolling without causing any further damage.
Although the video does not mention what happened to the Silverado, it shows a single taxi bakkie continuing on the highway on three wheels for a short distance, before pulling off in the distance.
Run away without a sign
Miraculously, the Soul driver escaped being launched into the air and smashed back down without injury as shown by Khatra and, according to Fox10 Newsby the Los Angeles Police Department.
A possible investigation has been initiated into the accident, possibly as a result of the wheel not attached correctly to the Silverado wheel hub, or because the wheel nuts failed completely.
A careful study of the clip shows the white Chevrolet has chunky off-road tires jutting out of the wheel arches, suggesting it may have been fitted with non-factory wheel spacers that failed to keep the wheels attached as the Soul passed. that.
five star safety
Either way, the clip is yet another testament to the safety of modern vehicles and why they make millions to keep them safe.
As a point of interest, the Soul, which in the crash appears to be a first-generation model, not only received a five-star Euro NCAP crash rating when tested in 2009, but also a “good” rating by the Insurance Institute of North America. for Highway Safety.