Traffic authorities in Vietnam have issued warnings to drivers on the Cam Lo - La Son Expressway, which links Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue Provinces in central Vietnam, about the risk of tire explosion due to the overheated road surface amid the current scorching weather.

Following many tire blowouts on the freeway over the past several days, traffic police officers on Thursday began to distribute leaflets to drivers at the road’s two ends to warn them against tire blasts and show them how to handle traffic incidents, the Traffic Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security said on Thursday.

From early Monday until noon on Thursday, 12 traffic incidents due to tire blasts on the expressway were reported by drivers of private cars, passenger cars, container trucks, and others to traffic police officers, said Major Le Xuan Thuong, head of Highway Traffic Control Patrol Team No. 5 under the department.

The official said the temperature of the thruway surface reached 63 degrees Celsius at 12:00 pm on Thursday, when the team directly measured it.  

"We cannot definitively attribute all recent tire explosion incidents to overheated road surfaces, but extreme heat may indeed elevate tire pressure, potentially resulting in tire blasts," Major Thuong stated.

Furthermore, given the absence of rest stops along the over-100-km expressway, vehicles are compelled to travel continuously, which likely exacerbates the buildup of pressure inside tires, eventually leading to explosions, as indicated by the department.

Most recently, a car suffered a tire blast when it was driving south-north on the section of the freeway in Hue City on Thursday morning.

According to an initial report, the car’s right tire exploded, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and crash it into a drainage ditch on the roadside.

The accident caused no casualties but the car was seriously damaged.

"Drivers should meticulously inspect their tires before entering the expressway, and they must adhere strictly to traffic laws, maintain vigilant observation, and refrain from speeding during travel to ensure safety," Major Thuong advised.

The team has arranged staff to be on duty along the highway to quickly handle accidents.

It also recommends that drivers glue reflective stickers on the rear of their vehicles to make them detectable to others in dark night.

Each vehicle should be equipped with a minimum of three road traffic safety cones and reflective warning triangles to serve as cautionary signals for other vehicles in the event of traffic incidents on the expressway.

In an emergency along the route, drivers should promptly dial 0949.05.05.08 to request assistance from traffic police forces.

Over the past days, the Thua Thien - Hue Hydrometeorological Station has continuously issued widespread heat warnings with the highest temperature measured at over 39 degrees Celsius.

The station remarked that this is the most intense heatwave the city has experienced since early 2024.

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