Your tire went flat, and you could not think of any possible reasons. You start wondering that maybe someone has vandalized your tire. How do you tell if your tire was slashed?
It isn’t easy to determine if your tire was a victim of slashing or vandalism, but the quickest thing to check is the location of the tire’s wound. The tire’s sidewall is the common area for intentional slashing because it is the softest part of the tire. Examine the cut on the tire to see if it is clean and straight – a typical look of a knife slash.
Some people also use a nail or screwdriver to stab someone else’s tire deliberately. If you think road hazards are less likely the cause of the damage on the tire, there is a good chance that you have been a victim.
Read on to learn more about a slashed tire.
How Do You Tell if Your Tire was Slashed?
Check the Area of the Damage
The part of the tire that is a common target for vandalism is the sidewall. The sidewall is the thinnest portion of the tire that the perpetrator can easily penetrate using a sharp object like a screwdriver or a Swiss knife.
If you know that you haven’t gone through an off-road trail driven in a road full of debris, or never hit a curb or a pothole, you have the right to imagine that someone may have deliberately slashed your tire.
The tire’s tread area is challenging to slash because it is thick, so it would take a log of force to punch through it.
Examine How the Wound Looks Like
It can be challenging to distinguish between accident-related damage on your tire and the one caused by vandalism. Sometimes, we can hardly differentiate if the tire slash is a pressure crack or deliberately done.
If the object used to slash the tire is a knife, you can immediately distinguish it because it leaves a straight and smooth cut on the tire. Scratches caused by road debris are rarely linear.
In some cases, especially if the person slashing the tire is not professional, there could be multiple attempts. If you see numerous scratches or attempts to punch through the tire, it is likely vandalism.
Search the Area for Any Sharp Objects
Criminals can be careless sometimes. You probably heard stories from your co-drivers wherein someone slashed their tire, and the perpetrator left the prick or the nail they used in the area.
If you see a sharp object that matches the wound on your tire, then that could be enough for you to tell that you were a victim.
I can share one instance when a criminal left a knife on the tire of my friend’s car. It was a traumatizing experience for her, so she installed a hidden camera for future incidents. Good thing it never happened again.
Find a Witness
If you get a flat tire and you suspect that it was a victim of slashing, ask some people around the area who may have seen the incident. If you could find some witnesses, you call the authorities to file an initial police report.
Try to remember if you have had some personal issues with someone who may have done this. If you don’t know any, it probably was just an isolated random act of vandalism.
Look for CCTV Footages
CCTV cameras are everywhere nowadays. If you suspect that your flat tire was due to slashing, look around the area where you parked your vehicle and try to find a CCTV camera. If you find one, you can ask the camera owner to show you the footage.
CCTV owners usually don’t disclose their recording as it is their personal property. But with the right approach, you might get the chance to view it. It will help if you explain that it is for your protection as the person who did it to you might do something else terrible.
What a Slashed Tire Sounds Like
Slashing a tire would either make a huge popping sound or a zipper sound. If the opening is large enough for the gushing air, it may blow up the tire, making a popping sound.
On the other hand, if the criminal uses a small sharp object like a nail, it may make a zipper sound, which will either cause the tire to blow up or slowly deflate until all air is out of the tire.
On some occasions, you may not hear the familiar slashing sound if the person doing it applies a technique to minimize or eliminate the sound.
How Long It Takes for a Slashed Tire to Deflate
It doesn’t take long for a slashed tire to deflate. If someone uses a knife, the tire can deflate in a matter of seconds. It can even go flat immediately if the slashing causes the tire to blow up.
Slashing a tire using a small sharp object like a nail or prick may take overnight or several days, depending on the size of the hole. If the hole is relatively small, it will only cause a slow leak and take longer for the tire to go flat.
Does Insurance Cover Slashed Tires?
If you have a slashed tire and wonder if your insurance covers it, the answer could be a yes and a no.
There are two types of auto insurance: Basic and Comprehensive.
Basic insurance generally covers bodily injury, medical or personal injury protection, and property damage liability. Thus, a slashed tire does not fall under this definition.
On the other hand, comprehensive insurance includes additional coverage, including collision coverage and non-driving related incidents. A slashed tire could fall under non-driving incidents, as this is a case of vandalism.
Therefore, if you have a comprehensive insurance policy, you will not worry so much about getting a slashed tire as your insurance company covers it. However, the claim process could be exhausting, so it is still best to be cautious about where you park your vehicle.
Park your vehicle in a safe area whenever possible. Install some cameras in your car if you can to help you figure out who vandalized your tires.
How to Prove Someone Slashed Your Tire
As I discussed in the above section, which talks about telling if you have a slashed tire, a witness and proof could be necessary.
A person who witnessed the incident could be your solid proof. However, it can be challenging to find a witness, especially if it is a public area where people come and go.
So, what else can you do? Well, as I pointed out earlier, you can look for a security camera or a CCTV around the area where you parked your vehicle. If you find one, you can approach the owner and request to see the video recording to prove that someone vandalized your tire.
If you have been a victim of tire slashing, proving future incidents could be easy. With the advancement of technology nowadays, it is nearly impossible not to figure out who slashed your tire.
You can purchase a camera to record the events in the area where you usually park your car. There are countless options you can choose from on which camera to install in your vehicle. You can check on Amazon to check the best seller cameras.
You may also check out this article showcasing the best spy cameras in the market.
If you want to go a little dirty, you can pump Nova gas into your tire. Just make sure that you don’t seriously hurt someone in doing it.
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Can Tire Slashing Send You to Jail?
There has been some confusion over whether you can go to jail when you slash someone else’s tire.
Lawyers in this thread have a clear answer to the question. Slashing a tire is considered an instance of a misdemeanor. If someone gets caught slashing a tire in the presence of police officers, a warrantless arrest can happen. Otherwise, it requires a police report and a warrant to arrest the perpetrator.
If someone gets arrested for slashing a tire, he can go to jail but would likely be released and given other sanctions like suspension of the driver’s license. If the perpetrator has an existing crime, the jail will become your home for the next few years.
So, if you are thinking of doing this, better think twice. Do not complicate your life. If you have conflicts with someone and want to get even with the person, it is better to discuss the issue. That way, you both could have peace of mind.
However, if you would have to do it for safety reasons, be ready with the consequences. Any crime, whether minor or major, is still a crime. It would still mess up your records. Thus, weigh your decision correctly and ask yourself if it is necessary.
Conclusion
Telling if your tire has been a victim of slashing can be difficult. You need to check the type of wound on your tire to see if it is likely due to deliberate action. You can also check the area to find any sharp objects that match the hole on your tire.
If you have been a victim, you should install a spy camera in your vehicle to record future incidents. This camera will help you present evidence to the police to apprehend the responsible person.