What Every NJ Driver Ought To Know About Worn Tires

What Every NJ Driver Ought To Know About Worn Tires

Worn tires are one of the most dangerous things you can do in your vehicle and are an accident just waiting to happen. If you like to drive over the speed limit or often travel on wet, slippery roads, you could be in even more danger on bald tires. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that over 26 percent of crashes they studied involved vehicles with insufficient tread.

The Role of Tire Tread

Your tire tread is the part of the tire that grips the road when the weather is bad, such as in rain, snow or ice. They are what keep you in control of your car and prevent you from slipping off the road. If our vehicles only traveled on dry roads, there would be no need for treaded tires. In fact, race cars, like those used in NASCAR, do not have treaded tires. Unfortunately, other than a race track, roads are not always dry and there is very little chance that you will never have to drive in wet conditions.

What Are Tire Treads?

Treads are the small grooves or channels on the surface of your tires. The tread whisks water from the tire when roads are wet so that the tire connects to the road in all weather conditions. They are also important for steering the car, making sure that the vehicle travels in the direction we turn the wheels. When the tread is gone on your tires, it is critical that you replace them as soon as possible. Driving on bald tires are the cause of many accidents.

Increased Hydroplaning Risk

When a layer of water gets between your tire and the surface of the road, the tire cannot grip the road as it is designed to do. This can cause your car to spin out of control and lead to an accident. Keeping good tread on your tires allows the water to move away from the area where the tire meets the road. However, as we drive, the tread on the tires wears away, leading to grooves that are too shallow to direct water as they were designed.

Heat Buildup

As you drive, friction is created between your tires and the surface of the road. This creates heat and, the faster you drive, the more heat the tire must manage. Tread helps to cool the tire due to the air flow between the grooves of the tread. When the heat rises to unsafe levels, a blowout can occur which can cause you to lose control of the vehicle.

Snow and Ice Handling

If you drive in areas with snow and ice through the winter, tires with little or no tread can be extremely dangerous. Tires also have small, thin grooves cut into the edges of the tread known as sipes that help you maintain traction on slippery roads. As tread wears down, the sipes can wear down as well and you could lose control in snowy conditions much more easily than with full-tread tires.

Air Pressure

When your tires have less tread, they can lose air pressure more quickly than tires with the proper tread depth. Although it is always good practice to check your tire pressure regularly, if your tires are bald, they may be losing air quicker than you think. If your tires are bald and underinflated, the danger increases significantly. Underinflated tires have difficulty gripping the road even if it is dry. They can also cause your car to skid during sudden stops and could reduce your gas mileage, costing you additional money in fuel.

If you suspect your tires have low tread, we can inspect them for you and identify what may be causing your tires to wear out. Fill out the form online or give us a call today to schedule an appointment.

Should You Replace Your Car Seat After An Accident?

Should You Replace Your Car Seat After An Accident- (1)

If your child is at an age where they must use a car seat, the seat is probably in your vehicle the majority of the time. If you are involved in an accident, even if your child is not occupying the seat, it is possible that you will need to replace the car seat, depending on the severity of the crash. When you are involved in a vehicle crash, forces inside the car can be extreme. This means that the car seat will be affected by crash energy whether it is occupied or not.

NHTSA Recommendation Changes

In the past, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recommended replacing car seats even when it is in a vehicle that suffered a relatively minor crash. In an effort to reduce the number of children riding without restraint while parents replace one involved in a crash as well as to reduce costs to consumers and insurance companies, NHTSA revised the recommendations somewhat. The agency, using several international studies, reports that car seats continue to protect children after being involved in a minor crash even when there is visible stress in the seat. Today, NHTSA recommends that car seats be replaced following moderate to severe crashes even if the child is not occupying the seat at the time. Unless there appears to be serious damage to the seat after a minor accident, the seat does not need to be replaced.

What is Considered a Minor Crash?

It can be difficult to determine if an automobile collision is considered minor, moderate or severe. NHTSA defines a minor accident involving a car seat as one in which the vehicle can be driven away from the scene and that the door nearest the car seat was undamaged. No injuries should be reported by passengers and air bags should not have deployed. If all of these criteria are met and there is no visible damage to the car seat, you do not have to replace your car seat. Most insurance companies will cover the cost of a new seat. If your child was close to growing out of their current seat, they may cover the cost of the next level seat.

Disposing of the Old Seat

After you have replaced the car seat, you will need to dispose of the old one. Contact your local waste agency to see if they offer a car seat recycling program. If they do not, you need to make the seat unusable by anyone else. Remove all detachable parts and cut all straps from the seat. Dismantle it as much as you can before disposing of the seat. There are people who search through residential garbage looking for yard sale and thrift shop items. By dismantling the seat, you insure that a child will not be placed in danger if someone should attempt to use it after you toss it out.

Even after a minor accident, your car seat may need to be replaced in order to keep your child safe. Your local police agency can inspect the seat for you should you have any questions about its safety.