Bad Tires Affect Your Driving Safety?
December 23rd, 2015 by Eli P
Many things can impair your ability to drive safely, including weather, road conditions, and malfunctioning brakes.
However, having a set of bad tires on your vehicle quickly escalates your driving ability—even for the best of drivers. When your tires are worn, under- or over-inflated, or damaged in any way, it can create a variety of unsafe driving conditions. These include:
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Winter slips.
All tires are made with many grooves and small slits, called “sipes,” that help bite into snow. As the tread wears away, so do the sipes, thereby reducing the tire’s ability to achieve proper grip on a snow-covered road. When the tire can’t grip, your vehicle can easily slide out of control, especially when the snow is hard-packed and icy.
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Hydroplaning.
When it rains, a thin layer of water can build up on the street’s surface. It then mixes with the oil and grime on top of the surface to create very slick conditions. The treads on a tire are designed to funnel water away from the tire, allowing it to retain traction in wet conditions. Tires with little or no thread increase the risk of sliding out of control because they can’t funnel water away from the tire.
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Longer stopping times.
Worn tires take longer to stop because the lack of tread reduces the amount of friction between the tire and the road. This is especially true in wet, snowy or icy road conditions. Failure to stop in time is a leading cause of accidents, especially rear-end collisions. Bad tires increase the risk of having an accident because it takes longer to stop the vehicle.
Source: Wonderland Tire Company
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Increased risk of blowout.
A tire with little or no tread is easier to puncture and therefore more likely to suffer a blowout. At high speeds, a blowout can cause complete loss of control of the vehicle. This is true even on dry roads and otherwise safe driving conditions.
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Loss of steering control.
Under- or over-inflated tires don’t grip the road as the tire is designed to do. This affects the ability to steer properly, and makes it harder to regain control if the vehicle begins skidding or sliding due to hydroplaning or icy roads.
Reducing the Risk of Unsafe Tires
Fortunately, accidents due to unsafe tires are easy to prevent. First, it’s a good habit to check your tire pressure every time you fill up for gas to make sure the tires are properly inflated. Once a month, check for signs of tread wear or other damage to the tire. When the tread starts wearing thin, take your car into a tire shop to have them inspected or replaced – regardless of the mileage.
Source: Bridgestone Tires
At Fix Auto, we can’t fix your tires, but if you get into an accident, we can make your car look like new. Come see us at your nearest Fix Auto location for prompt, courtesy service, professional repairs.
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