Critical Days of Summer week three: check your tires Published June 7, 2010 By Neil Townley 17th Training Wing Safety Office GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Next time you fill up at the gas station, you should consider something else that likely needs a fill up - your tires. Our third week of the Critical Days of Summer campaign focuses on four-wheeled private motor vehicles. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study indicates that more than one in four passenger car tires and one in three light truck tires are under-inflated. With wallet-pummeling gasoline prices and the fact that under-inflated tires can bite into fuel economy and shorten tire life, people should already be regularly checking their tires - including the spare - to make sure they have the correct air pressure. If gasoline and tire costs aren't enough to motivate you, consider the fact that tires with too little air are more prone to a blow out and tread separation. These events frequently have fatal outcomes, especially at higher speeds. NHTSA estimates that as many as 80 deaths and thousands of injuries can be prevented every year across the U.S. if people checked the air pressure in their tires monthly and before taking long road trips. Don't rely on your eyes or a finger prod to gauge if a tire has enough air, use a tire pressure gauge and know the correct tire pressures for your vehicle. This can usually be found on a label inside your driver's side door or in the owner's manual.
