Regular tire checks important to safe driving

With Labor Day passing summer travel is rapidly coming to an end.

For those of us who live here years around know how important good tires are especially in bad weather.

Last week I found myself checking each of my companies vehicle tires making sure the tread height was sufficient to continue to use throughout this winter.

Each of my journeymen has an assigned vehicle. They are responsible for its care and safety. During my tire check, I found it interesting that they didn’t know how to check tires.

Because of that fact I thought this would be a good subject for this week’s article.

Based on an AOL report (www.autos.aol,com/article/tire-safety) which indicated about 11 percent of American vehicles or 28 million vehicles drive around with at least one bald tire and of that 55 percent ride around with under-inflated tires.

This claim, if true, is scary. Your vehicle tires are the only contact your vehicle has with the surface it is driving on. Actually your life depends on your vehicles ability to stop and maneuver properly.

If your tires are bald you face the following risks:

• Loss of traction, the ability to stop within a reasonable time and distance.

• Susceptible to sudden blow outs especially if you hit a pot hole.

• Bald tires are normally old; the rubber has cracks on the surface and in the sub-surface of the rubber.

• Bald tires coupled with under inflation are a mixture for disaster through loss of control of the vehicle.

• Driving on bald and under inflated tires causes them to run hotter increasing the chance of sudden blow out.

Safety tips:

• Every time you change the oil in your car, check the tire pressure and make sure it is within the manufactures recommended pressure level.

• When you check the pressure of your tire pull out a penny. Turn the penny upside down with Lincoln head pointing down and insert it into the tread of your tire. If the tread is up too or past the top of Lincoln’s head your tread depth is fine. Please check at least four different locations on your tire to make sure depth of the overall tire is good, if it is below his head you should consider buying new tires.

•  When checking the tire air pressure examine the side walls of the tire to make sure there are no deep cuts, gouges, cracks, or budges which could cause a sudden blow out.

• Examine the tread surface to see if there are deep cuts and exposed belting material.

• Examine the valve stem. Get a spray bottle with a mixture of soap and water in it. Spray around the stem and in the valve stem hole to see if air bubbles out. If it does you will need a new stem.

If you would like to share a cleaning idea or concept with the reading audience, call Ed at NWES (255-2266), e-mail them to nwees@hughes.net or send them to Bonner County Daily Bee, 310 Church St., Sandpoint, ID 83864, Attn: What Would Ed do?  For more information about Ed, go online to www.nwees.com.

Copy written by Edmond E. Madan, certified indoor environmental professional, forensic, fire, flood, mold Inspection and remediation/restoration contractor. Ed is the president of Northwest Environmental Services, Inc.