Conventional wisdom says the one thing a motorcoach driver should never do when a front tire blows is slam on the brakes.

Now, theres a school of thought that recommends slightly accelerating immediately after a front tire blows to help maintain vehicle control.

Motorcoach safety experts, however, arent ready to subscribe to the acceleration theory -- yet.

A debate if there is one -- over what to do when the front tire on a motorcoach suddenly fails has surfaced in the wake of a number of motorcoach crashes, including the fatal one in Sherman, Texas, that killed 17 (see Sept. 1 Bus & Motorcoach News).

Matt Daecher of Daecher Consulting Group in Camp Hill, Pa., goes with the conventional recommendation of having the driver keep his or her foot off the brakes when a front-wheel blowout occurs.

"What happens when you have a tire blowout is you have an increased drag on that side," says Daecher. "Brakes can accelerate that."

Daecher recommends against attempting any type of emergency braking, which he acknowledges is difficult for a driver to refrain from doing.

"Unfortunately, its natural for a driver to want to stop," he said. "Its a shock to them when a tire blows out. What we recommend is getting to the side of the road before you hit the brakes so you can come to a controlled stop. Once you hit the brakes, its tough to know how a vehicle will react."

If a tire disintegrates, Daecher said, it would be even more difficult to control a motorcoach, but its still best to stay off the brakes initially.

Daecher said he has heard about the theory supposedly backed by testing -- that it actually helps to speed up a little when a front-wheel blowout occurs, lessening the drag caused by the blowout and strengthening the vehicles straight-ahead momentum. He chuckled a bit and said: "I have no first-hand knowledge of trying that on a bus."

A website geared to police safe driving practices (www.policedriving.com/blowouts.htm) affirms that following a front-tire blowout, vehicles have a tendency to pull toward the side of the deflated tire.

"If the driver reacts by jerking the steering wheel or pressing the brakes to compensate, the loss of control could be disastrous," states an article featured on the PoliceDriving.com website.

"The proper action following a blowout is to slightly accelerate. This will keep the vehicle momentum constant and will compensate for the pulling of the vehicle towards the flat tire," the article states.

The website also says the steering wheel should be held straight and firm. Only then, and once the vehicle is away from traffic, should the brakes be applied slightly.

Chris Crean, vice president of safety and security for Peter Pan Bus Lines in Springfield, Mass., and a former chairman of the Bus Industry Safety Council, says the correct protocol in the bus industry is to allow the vehicle to slow down and pull over while holding the steering wheel steady.

"Try not to let the steering wheel go haywire," said Crean. "Thats easier said than done because it (a blowout) just pops up on you. It will try to pull to the left or right, depending on which wheel blows. Youll have to put some oomph into it.

"The most important thing is to slow the coach gradually. Dont slam on the brakes. Brake slightly. Some drivers get nervous when that happens."

Mike McDonal, director of transportation for Eyre Bus Lines in Glenelg, Md., explained why he believes braking is not recommended.

"All of the weight is going to shift to that side," McDonal said, "and youll lose control of the vehicle if you hit the brakes."

Better yet, McDonal said, is having a preventative maintenance checklist.

"Check the tires to make sure you wont have a blowout and keep a minds eye on the road for objects that could cause a tire failure," he said.

Daecher, too, recommends inspecting tires before starting a trip and, if the driver stops en route, check the tires again.

"If they feel excessive heat on any of the tires, they have an idea they might have an issue that could cause disintegration of a tire," Daecher said.

Like other operators, Michael A. Kraft of Kraftours Corporation in Tulsa, Okla., was deeply upset by the reports that a recapped tire was being used on the front axle by the operator of the coach that crashed in Sherman, Texas.

"Operating a coach with recapped tires on the steer axle with passengers is inexcusable under any circumstances, but I'm not convinced that part of the issue in the crash in Sherman isnt driver training," said Kraft.

"Front-wheel blowouts arent an inevitable cause of crashes, although they can be the catalyzing event. The end result, as in many coach-related problems, is the skill and experience of the driver."