The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) urges motorists to pay close attention to their tires – especially since the hot weather is spreading across the country. How can a faulty tire cause a car accident?
Car Accident Statistics
The experts outline that heated asphalt adds to the wear tires experience on a daily basis. In fact, failing tires may be to blame for as many as 11,000 car accidents each year. Examples include drivers who lose control and cross into oncoming traffic or rollover accidents.
Tire Problems to Avoid
Spend a moment of your time evaluating your car, truck or van’s tires.
- Tread separation. When the tread separates from the steel belt of a radial tire, it may be a manufacturing defect. The separation itself leads to a blowout. At high speeds, such as you would see on a highway, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
- Balding. If your tire seems bald in one spot, your vehicle may have an alignment problem. An alignment issue can also be the case if one out of four tires is balding while the other ones are in good condition. Bald tires do not have the traction that their counterparts possess. In wet weather, the lack of traction becomes a hazard. As a general rule of thumb, replace any tire with tread worn below 2/32 of an inch.
- Insufficient tire pressure. Your car’s manual should offer information about the right tire pressure for your vehicle. If you have after-market tires installed, go by the recommendations of the manufacturer. Although there is plenty of Internet lore to suggest that over-inflated tires may increase your gas mileage, this is not the case.
If you have been involved in a car accident possibly caused by faulty tires, contact us for assistance with the protection of your rights.