Check your tires. Everything rides on them.

Think about it: at 60 miles per hour, your wheels spin more than 13 times per second. That’s fast and you shouldn’t be surprised, after having driven your car weeks and months on end without even looking at them, that one of your tires suddenly decides it’s had enough. A flat tire, tire blowout or tread separation at high speed or in a crucial maneuver could lead to a terrible accident. What should Louisiana drivers do to avoid such an outcome?

It is part of normal, basic car maintenance to regularly check your tires for:

• Adequate pressure
• Cuts and slashes
• Tread depth

Good tires will not just improve the steering, stopping, traction and load-carrying capacity of your car, they will also reduce your fuel consumption and last longer if kept at the proper pressure.

Tire pressure: Your vehicle owner’s manual indicates the proper tire pressure in a fully or partially loaded situation. For many cars, the pressure, expressed in psi (pounds per square inch), is indicated on a sticker in the front left door edge.

It is recommended to check your vehicle’s tire pressure at least once a month for the following reasons:

• The air pressure in your tires may vary with the ambient temperature;
• You can lose air suddenly if you drive over a pothole or strike the curb when parking;
• Many tires lose air over time;
• With radial tires, it is usually not possible to determine under inflation visually.

Tire tread: Once the tires are worn down to where the tread is no more than 1/16 inch deep, they must be replaced. There are very cheap measurement tools to check the tire tread depth, but just a regular visual inspection will alert you when the time has come to change your tires.

Tire change, balancing and wheel alignment: Tires do not wear down evenly. In a front wheel drive car, for instance, the front tires will need to be replaced far more often than the rear tires.

Check with your service technician if your tires should be rotated, and where to place the new ones. Ask for detailed explanations about the new tires’ characteristics and if they fit with the old tires. At times, it is best to replace all four tires if you want to change the type of your tires.

With a tire change, it is necessary to balance the tire, which is done by positioning weights on the wheel to counteract heavy spots. If your steering wheel vibrates at a high speed, you should request a wheel balancing. The wheels should also be aligned to adjust their angle relative to the body’s frame. This prevents your car from veering to the left or right when driving on a straight, level road.

Your safety is in your hands. Regularly check your tires and ask yourself if you should upgrade and/or replace them. If you have been hurt in a Louisiana car accident, contact immediately the attorneys of the Young Firm for a FREE consultation on your case at (504) 680-4100 (local) or (866) 660-7220 (toll free) or by sending us an e-mail.