Tire Condition Will Affect Safety

Maintaining your car so that it's in tip top shape is a critical part of being safe on the road. Your need for the safety of your vehicle does not end with air bags, seat belts, and other built-in safety features. Proper maintenance of the crucial aspects of your car are equally important for safe driving. Tires and brakes are two cardinal features that are crucial to the safety of your car and yourself.

Recommendations for Tires

Your car’s certification labels and tire information placards include information on tires and load limits from the car manufacturer. These labels provide information on the recommended tire size for your car, the recommended tire inflation pressure, the maximum passenger and cargo weight the car is designed to carry, and the maximum weight for the front and rear axles. It's important to be aware of these recommended limits and adhere to them for the safety of your car.

Alignment and Balance

Properly balanced tires are important for the car’s safety. When the tire rotates, particularly at higher speeds, there must be no shaking or vibration of the car. This can be achieved by positioning weights on the wheel in such a way that have spots on the tire and wheel assembly are counterbalanced.

A wheel alignment involves adjusting the angles of the wheels to ensure that they are positioned appropriately relative to the car’s frame. Correct adjustment improves the life of the tires and prevents the vehicle from veering to the left or right when driving on a level road. Such adjustments must be performed only by qualified technicians who have the right equipment.

Rotation of Tires

The tires must be rotated from side to side and from front to back in order to minimize irregular wear. The owner’s manual will provide information on the best rotation patterns and how frequently the rotation must be performed. The gripping action is performed by the tire tread, and tire traction prevents the car from sliding or slipping on a wet surface. The built-in tread wear indicators should be monitored so that you know when it's time to replace the tires.

Anti-lock Brake System (ABS)

Anti-Lock Brakes are perhaps the most important component to protect you and your family when driving on the road. The ABS add a critical element of safety to your driving under all types of conditions. They allow you to maintain directional control, vehicular stability, and may reduce the stopping distance during hard braking, especially on wet or icy roads. However, for the ABS to work properly, you have to understand the system and allow it to do its job.

ABS automatically pump the car’s regular braking system, which will have to be performed manually in a car not equipped with ABS. This is important to prevent wheel lock-up. If your car is equipped with ABS, you must plant your foot firmly on the brake pedal while the system pumps the brakes for you. This allows you to focus on steering the car to safety.

How to determine if the car has ABS?

Most newer cars provide ABS either as standard or optional equipment. To determine whether your car has ABS and, what type of ABS, you should read the owner’s manual. You can also look at your instrument panel for a yellow light, which is the ABS indicator. Whether you're buying, renting, or leasing a car, you should always check whether the car is equipped with an anti-lock braking system.