Proper tire pressure can save lives
Recently a mother in Sarita, Texas was killed and her three young children were injured when a blown tire on her Ford Expedition caused the vehicle to roll. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that nine percent of tires on passenger vehicles are bald, thus contributing to dangerous blowouts at higher speeds.
To make matters worse, many gas stations are not helping matter by having malfunctioning air pumps. As many as 14 percent of gas stations either lack pumps or have ones that do not work. Many more gas stations do not have pumps that have tire pressure gauges.
A simple tire pressure gauge can be found in most auto parts stores for a very small price. This allows vehicle owners to check their pressure and assure that dangerously low or high pressure tires don’t contribute to blowouts. Many newer vehicles have automatic tire pressure sensors as well.
An easy way drivers can tell if they have enough tread on tires is to put a dime head first into the tread depth. If the head of President Eisenhower is completely visible there is less than 1/16 of an inch of tread left. That means the tires should be replaced.
