Last week (June 5 – 11) was National Tire Safety Week for the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and it’s no coincidence that this tire-awareness campaign is scheduled for the beginning of summer. Summer heat can cause tires to blow and accidents to happen.
According to the NHTSA, tires were responsible for 116,000 injuries and over 3,300 deaths on American roads during a four year time period (2005-2009). Experts believe that most of these injuries and fatalities could have been prevented if only the drivers had stopped to check their tires. Heat can cause tires to become extremely dangerous, especially when they don’t have the proper air pressure.
The NHTSA offers a free brochure for everyone to read or download that outlines how to make sure that your tires are okay for the hot summer roads.
Weak tires are especially dangerous when they are being driven on a big rig commercial truck.
Commercial trucks, with their weight and size, are always safety issues on American roads, and their tires are no exception. Blown tires on big rigs cause wrecks: not only can the truck driver lose control, but the flying tire and its debris on the roadway can cause hazards resulting in other vehicles crashing.
This week, the Tire Industry Association and Michelin Americas Truck Tires participated in National Tire Safety Week by offering fleet operators, tire shop managers, and truck maintenance pros a truck tire training video that goes into the details of making sure that the big trucks’ big tires are safe with an explanation of safety procedure for semi truck tires. The video is free, 18 minutes long, and entitled “Tire Shop Hazard Assessment.”
