Now don’t panic, we just mean your tires may not be
road-worthy! It’s National Tire Safety Week and when it comes to taking care of
the rubber that meets the road, ‘80s rock stars Queen and Elvis Costello got it
right with “Under Pressure” and “Pump it Up” respectively…
We’ve all seem them (no, not the rock stars!) - the shredded
tires along the side of the freeway or worse - flying towards your windshield!
Bet you didn’t know, though, that little bits of shredded tire
rubber are every bit as dangerous as whole tires or hubcaps flying off
transport trucks. (They just don’t make for as exciting footage on the nightly
news as the 18-wheeler mayhem!)
When’s the last time you checked the inflation level of your
tires? Ah, thought so… improper maintenance is the main cause of shredded tires,
and the prime culprit is the under-inflation of tires.
The problem of shredded tires is not limited to big rigs. In
fact, one in four cars and one in three light trucks hit the road with at least
one under-inflated tire, according to the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
To counteract this nasty lazy tendency of drivers to under-inflate,
the Rubber Manufacturers Association (yes, that is their name! Imagine the
crank calls they get!) and many tire companies encourage car and truck drivers
alike to “play your PART” (Pressure, Alignment, Rotation, Tread).
If safety doesn’t turn your crank enough to get those tires
pumped up, you might be interested to learn you’ll save money when your tires are properly inflated! That’s because
well-inflated tires improves your fuel economy by 3.3 percent, according to the
Department of Energy.
Oh, in case you're sad that National Tire Safety Week is over in a few days, don't despair - North American Occupational Safety and Health Week is right around the corner (May 6 - 12) and the theme this year? Transportation safety!