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Tire Safety
Proper tire maintenance is an important safety function often neglected. The importance of properly maintaining your tires cannot be overemphasized. Remember, tires are the only contact between your vehicle and the road.
Under inflation is the leading cause of tire failure. Not only are under inflated tires more prone to damage and failure, but they can lead to higher fuel costs by as much as 3 to 5˘ per gallon.
Studies of tire safety show that maintaining proper tire pressure, observing tire and vehicle load limits (not carrying more weight in your vehicle than your tires or vehicle can safely handle), avoiding road hazards, and inspecting tires for cuts, slashes, and other irregularities are the most important things you can do to avoid tire failure, such as tread separation or blowout and flat tires.
These actions, along with other care and maintenance activities, can also:
• Improve vehicle handling • Improve fuel economy
• Help protect you and others from avoidable breakdowns and accidents
• Increase the life of your tires
Safety First–Basic Tire Maintenance
Properly maintained tires improve the steering, stopping, traction, and load-carrying capability of your vehicle. Underinflated tires and overloaded vehicles are a major cause of tire failure. Therefore, as mentioned above, to avoid flat tires and other types of tire failure, you should maintain proper tire pressure, observe tire and vehicle load limits, avoid road hazards, and regularly inspect your tires.
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