Your tires can be the difference between getting in a wreck and avoiding it. Many accidents are caused because someone doesn’t maintain their vehicle properly and, quite often, the thing that people overlook happens to be the condition of their tires. If you want to avoid getting in a car wreck, here are three things to check your tires for before you head out on the road.
Air Pressure
This is easy to check and so vital to safety that it’s inexplicable that low tire pressure causes so many accidents, but it does. When tires aren’t properly inflated, they can cause the vehicle to lose traction. Improper tire pressure also causes improper wear on the tire, which can result in potentially deadly blowouts.
Make sure you check your tire pressure regularly. While you’re down there taking a look at it, there is another thing you should look for.
Sidewall Bulges
Whenever you see a bulge in a tire’s sidewall, you’re looking at a disaster waiting to happen. This means that the tire is weakening in that spot and it’s likely to blow out at any time. These types of blowouts are the sudden depressurizations of the tire that can cause you to spin out and lose control, so you should never drive on such a tire. It’s best to change to the spare right away and to go buy a new tire to replace the failing one before it actually blows out.
Worn Treads
When you start seeing bald spots on your tire, you really need to have them changed. Ideally, you’ll have them changed long before this, however. You can get the tread depth on your tires checked by a mechanic to make sure they’re adequate. The treads are what ensure that you have good contact with the road, so they need to be checked every time you bring your vehicle in to ensure that they’re roadworthy.
Wrecks
If you’re in a wreck and it’s not your fault, you may want to contact a lawyer. They can help you determine whether the person who hit you was following safe practices with their driving and their vehicle. If they weren’t, they may be held liable in a court of law for negligence. You can contact a car accident attorney to see if they can help you file a lawsuit against these drivers, which may win you compensation.
