Your tires are the most important safety feature on your car. Think about it, your tires are the only thing connecting your car with the ground. Even if your car has all of the latest safety features, they are still at the will of your tires.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2017 there were over 78,000 tire related accidents and over 730 fatalities. This is an unfortunately high number, as anyone can prevent these accidents with simple regular inspections. Inspecting your tires couldn't be any easier; only requiring a few minutes per month.
First, visually inspect your tires to be sure you haven't already worn past your wear bars and into the metal banding inside your tire. The next thing to check is your tread depth. If you don't own a tread depth gauge, you can use a coin as explained by this article on Tire Rack. Making sure you still have adequate tread incredibly important - the less tread you have, the worse your tires will perform at evacuating water or snow.
The last thing you can easily check is your tire pressure. In the video below, Nate runs you through why it is important to check your tire pressures and to check them frequently. This is especially the case if the temperature fluctuates frequently where you live. We recommend this Hazet tire pressure gauge if you have an air compressor at home. For on the go, this digital gauge is extremely convenient to keep in your glove box. Being digital, it also has the potential to be less intimidating for non-car enthusiasts.
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