Tires are one of the most important safety components of a car and the only part that touches the road and, as such, critical to road safety. That’s why tire care and maintenance should be a top priority for all motorists.
Today’s tires are made to perform better than ever before, yet improperly maintained tires can put drivers at risk. Worn-out tires are three times more likely to be involved in a crash than tires with sufficient tread depth, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). A NHTSA study of tire inflation pressure and tire pressure monitoring systems showed that 12 percent of all passenger vehicles in the United States of model years 2004-2011 have at least one underinflated tired by at least 25%.
U.S. tire manufacturers recommend drivers check tire pressure at least monthly, regularly check tire tread depth and ensure vehicle tires are rotated and properly aligned. USTMA reports that 53% of drivers don’t know how to check tread wear. Use the upside-down coin trick—if part of the president’s head is covered by the tread, you’re good to go. If you can see his entire head, it’s new tire time. Proper maintenance and periodic inspections by a tire professional are essential for optimum performance and service life of tires and can help ensure lower overall environmental impacts.
To help motorists remember these important tire maintenance actions, USTMA encourages drivers to remember the acronym “P.A.R.T.”—Pressure, Alignment, Rotation, and Tread. Tire safety essentials are especially important this year as summer road trips are expected to be very popular and vehicle usage is on the rise.
Americans drove more than 3.169 trillion miles in 2022, an increase of more than 29 billion miles compared to 2021, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
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