One thing drivers don’t expect to see in traffic is a tire flying directly at them. But chaos ensued as a tire flew off the rear of an SUV on the highway, leading to multiple accidents. Traffic was backed up for hours. 

A rogue SUV tire causes chaos on California highway 

California residents are used to bad traffic. But on Highway 99 a new level of chaos occurred as a tire flew off the back of an SUV north of Belmont Avenue. 

According to police officers, a flat tire caused an SUV to come to a complete stop in the center of the median and then it flew off the rear. 

This caused traffic to back up as drivers swerved to avoid the tire. Then a vehicle traveling at a rate of high speed slammed into the back of another car. Another vehicle involved in the wreck veered toward the right shoulder and flipped over. 

The three cars involved in the pile-up were driven by men between the ages of 35 to 55. Luckily, they only suffered minor injuries. 

According to KMPH, no drugs or alcohol were related to the incident, which feels rare. I feel like I’m constantly reading about wrecks caused by drunk drivers. 

Anyways, the tire was flat and most tire blowouts are caused by underinflation. So, you want to change the tire or get it fixed as soon as possible. 

The driver of the SUV got lucky when their vehicle came to a stop. In some cases, a person loses control of a vehicle or it flips over when a tire suddenly falls off.