Texas Driver Safety News – Tire Safety Tips
June 3rd through the 9th is National Tire Safety Week, and as an online Texas driver safety course provider we wanted offer some tips to remind drivers about this important topic. So what should you be doing to ensure your tires are ready for the driving task? Here is a checklist of tire safety items:
- Tire inspection – This probably seems simple, but it is something that most drivers do not do. Most experts recommend a monthly inspection is sufficient, but we would suggest it is a good idea to get in the habit of conducting a tire inspection each time you fill your car with gas. It doesn’t take long to give your tires a once over and look for any signs of nails, screws, or other sharp objects (ex. Glass, rocks, etc.) that might be lodged into the tire. Pay attention for tread wear that is uneven or excessive, or cracks and bulges on the tread or sidewalls. If you notice any of these symptoms, take your car to a local specialist for treatment.
- Air pressure – During your regular tire inspections it is a good idea to check the pressure of your tires. The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration studies show that under inflated tires is the number one cause of tire failure. Underinflated tires also cause uneven wear patterns which will require that the tires be replace sooner than normal.
- Tire rotation – To get the longest tread life possible out of your tires, besides maintaining proper air pressure, it is important that you rotate your tires every 6000 miles. This is extremely important since the majority of cars on the road are two wheel drive, which means that a disproportionate amount of acceleration and braking stress is put on either the front two wheels (in a “front wheel drive” car) or on the rear two wheels ( in a “rear wheel drive” car). This logic explains why if you don’t rotate your tires regularly, the two tires that are doing the majority of the acceleration work will wear out the faster than they would if they were rotated as the manufacturer suggests. When you get your tires rotated, you can also have them balanced, which is a procedure by which tire specialists will add weights to the inside of the wheel to ensure proper balance. An out of balance tire can be detected by a shaking steering wheel or noises when driving at faster highway speeds.
These are the three most important tire safety tips, but there are others, that you should follow such as never overloading a tire which can cause a blowout or having your vehicle’s alignment checked regularly to avoid uneven wearing of the tread. If you follow these tips you should get the longest life possible out of your tires and help ensure they are fully ready to get you from point A to point B safely on our nations roadways.
