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(ARA) - How much of your rubber meets the road may determine your safety, according to the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA). The group urges motorists to “Be Tire Smart” and make sure tires are properly maintained and safe for the road.
One way to ensure you have good grip on the road is to inspect your tires’ tread depth. Tires are considered bald when they have less that 2/32 inch of tread depth.
Poor tread depth can affect traction and handling. In particular, stopping on wet roads can take up to four times the normal distance. Worn tires also may hydroplane, or skim over the surface of the road with little or no traction.
According to RMA research, two out of three drivers do not know how to tell if their tires are bald while the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that almost 10 percent of tires on the road are bald.
“A bald tire is not going to grip the road properly and that puts you and others at risk,” says Donald B. Shea, RMA president and CEO.”
RMA urges motorists to look at their tires every month.
* Get in the Groove. Check your tire tread grooves to make sure they are free of foreign objects. Also check the sidewalls to make sure there are no gouges, cuts, bulges or other irregularities.
* Sign Language. Built-in tread wear indicators, or “wear bars,” on every tire are narrow strips of smooth rubber across the tread. They appear when tires are worn to 2/32 inch and signal to replace the tire.
* Penny for your Thoughts. Another way to test for bald tires is the penny test. Place a penny into a tread groove on your tires with Abe Lincoln’s head pointed down. If you can see all of Lincoln’s head, it is time for a new tire.
Additionally, RMA says that proper tire pressure is critical to optimizing vehicle safety.
“Properly inflated tires also will help ensure a good grip on the road,” Shea says. “Check tire pressure every month with a tire gauge and use the correct pressure recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. And don’t forget the spare.”
RMA says that proper tire care will help maximize vehicle safety, fuel economy and tire longevity. For more information visit www.betiresmart.org.
Courtesy of ARA Content