Tips on Tire Safety
How to check your tires to help keep you and your family safe.
April 21, 2010— -- Checking your car tires is very important for your safety, but 64 percent of drivers do not know how to check their tires' tread depth, according to a tire trade association, and 85 percent do not know how to check their tire pressure.
In fact, 11 percent of vehicles have at least one "bald" tire, and 49 percent have at least one underinflated tire, according to the national average.
So here are some tips to help get you started on checking your tires.
Ideally, your tires should be at the precise pressure in your owner's manual. Overinflating causes the center of the tire to bulge out and rub the road unevenly, and underinflating can cause handling problems, or even a blowout.
Always check the pressure when the tires are cold for an accurate reading.
Treads
Bald tires are the biggest safety threat of all. On a wet test track, the first car with a healthy amount of tread performed fine. But the second vehicle, the one with bald tires, spun out.
Try the penny test on your tires. Take a penny and insert it into your tire tread with Lincoln"s head facing down. If your tire tread comes up to Lincoln's head, you have a 16th of an inch, which is the minimum. More is better.