Stay Safe On The Road With Michelin's Tire Safety Tips
STUDIO CITY (CBS) — The summer driving season is quickly approaching! While we all want to ensure that our families and loved ones are safe on the road, we often forget one of the most important components to vehicle safety: our tires.
Michelin Tire Expert Dean Weekes stopped by KCAL9 Tuesday to share tire safety tips for National Tire Safety Week.
According to a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 660 highway fatalities are caused by under-inflated tires annually.
Tire Safety Tips:
Tread Depth: Check tire wear with the quick and easy penny trick. Put a penny into each of the tread grooves, with Lincoln's head toward the inside. If you can see the top of Honest Abe's head, your tires are worn. Be sure to check several grooves across the width of the tire. Tires are worn and unsafe with anything less than 2/32" of tread depth—many state laws require tire replacement at 2/32" (two-thirty-seconds).
Tire Inflation: Dangers that can be associated with driving with an improperly inflated tire, showing where on the car to find the proper pressure, give pointers on checking pressure, maybe even show how to add air. Manufacturer recommended tire pressure levels can be seen on the placard (label) on the driver's side of the vehicle.
General Safety Tips: Situational awareness is key to safe driving, including being aware of traffic and road conditions and driving at appropriate speeds for the weather conditions. Driving is a skill and requires drivers to pay attention to what is going on around them. It is also important to do monthly vehicle checks. Walk around the car to make sure everything looks right (e.g. nothing hanging down from the vehicle).
