Tires: Your safety and your life
are riding on them.

Many drivers are aware of the importance of their vehicle's strength during a crash. But are we as familiar with one of the most important features of our vehicle in avoiding a crash – tires? As summer arrives and we venture out on road trips, it is the perfect time to learn more about tire safety.

Your vehicle's tires are the only thing between you and the road. To help ensure they can perform their best in a critical driving situation, invest a little time to incorporatetire safety into your regular vehicle maintenance. The time you spend checking your tires is minimal compared to the safety consequences of tire failure.

NHTSA's Crash Causation Survey found that there was an issue with a tire before the crash occurred in 1 of 11crashes (9%). Issues included tread separations, blow outs, bald tires, and underinflation. Download PDF

Underinflation leads to poor fuel economy, sluggish handling, longer stopping distances, and increased stress to tire components. Another concern is how heat affects tires. In the hot summer months, the high heat and hot roadways contribute to the breakdown of tires and at greater opportunity for tire failure.

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