Hey Folks,
Welcome to the beginning of another year and decade. Hope you made the best of the holidays.
The holidays was definitely loaded with fun but kicking the decade off came with an averted tragedy and I think for the love of you I should share.
It was the first day of the year, my family was away on holidays and the city was calling for a little play, in my usual elements; I heeded the calls and hit the road. As always, the highway was my route and I usually did my 100-120km/hr to keep my engine on top of it game.
Less than five minutes into the trip, I felt a sudden loss of pressure followed by slight swerving of the truck.
I wanted to panic but I managed to pull myself together. I tried looking through the side mirrors but not much could be seen. Here was I, on the road with fast moving heavy duty vehicles and the uncertainty of what the issue really is. I succeeded in stabilizing the vehicle but I reduced acceleration, the problem became apparent as the truck started to drag in the manner of one with deflated tires. I looked for a good spot to park and figure what to do but right next to me was the popular Kara market on Lagos-Ibadan expressway and it was under fire.
There was chaos as people made efforts to salvage life and properties and I couldn’t get a good spot to park. For a moment, I forgot my worries; seeing this helpless lot struggling and running back and forth was a source of concern for me.
What if the fire went beyond, down the road to the gas station, what if… then I remember to dial the 797 emergency number.
They told me a fire truck was already on its way. Relieved, I went back to my worries and found a good spot on the Kara-Bridge. It was a tire blowout, a bad on at that. I looked around for a for help and resorted to self when I could not get any.
I lowered the spare tire lever, pulled it out and picked the jack and wheel spanner for the task. The fire service truck arrived just as I finished changing the tires.
Now the height of it, tire is fixed but my car won’t start.
Power lights come on but it doesn’t crank, that has to be battery. After much effort at troubleshooting, men of the Federal Road Safety Commission showed up, urging me to hurry up and leave the spot to avoid traffic build up. I called my Dare Abati and he turned up promptly with another battery to jump-start my truck.
My takeaway from the incident of my tire blowout turns out to be my new year gift to you. Just as in any situation, keep calm and never apply the breaks abruptly when you have a blowout. Rather, reduce acceleration till the vehicle gets slow.
It is the year to be all that you can be, don’t slow down on those kindness acts and help someone get a smile always. Happy and prosperous 2020!
Yours,
Ilupeju B