| New Bill Requires Sound Regulations for Hybrids |
|
| On April 9, 2008, a new bill was introduced to the United States Congress which is intended to protect pedestrians from the dangers of newer, quieter .....Read More» |
|
| California Drivers Go Hands-Free July 1, 2008 |
|
| A California state law regarding hands-free cell phone takes effect on July 1, 2008.
The law stipulates that drivers over the age of 18 may not talk.....Read More» |
|
|
| When many of us go to shop for new tires, we normally do the research to know what we should look for. We look into such questions as:
• Wh.....Read More» |
|
| When Your Car Insurance Doesn’t Insure You |
|
| So. You've got car insurance. You're even paying monthly premiums to one of the "name brand" insurance companies. You're covered, right?
We.....Read More» |
|
|
How Old Are Your Tires?
When many of us go to shop for new tires, we normally do the research to know what we should look for. We look into such questions as:
• What is the price?
• What size are they?
• How much are they?
• What is the condition of the tread?
But one thing many of us never ask is, how old are the tires? In fact, tires that are six years or older can actually cause fatal accidents, even if they're brand new.
There is much controversy over whether or not the tires are responsible for the hazardous driving conditions. There has been much research done to show how tires start to deteriorate over time. This means that even when tires are sitting on the shelves in the stores they are decreasing in value and in safety. Tires can sometimes sit in a store's inventory for as long as ten years.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has warned that aged tires, regardless of tread, are subject to greater stress increasing the likelihood of failure when we need it most. Aged tires are prone to tread separation, even though they show no signs of deterioration. Because of this, tires that show no signs of tread loss, although dangerous, are sold, or used as spare tires. We have seen the evidence around us as we drive on the highway – remnants of blown tires strewn across the lanes.
Between January and June 2008, there were over 150 incidents in which tires older than six years had experienced tread separations of which there were 128 fatalities and 168 injuries.
So why, until recently, have we not heard anything about the age of our tires? In other countries around the world, they have known of the risks of aged tires for some time now. In 2001, the British Rubber Manufacturers Association strongly recommended that "unused tires should not be put into service if they are over 6 years old". They went on to state that tires "may not exhibit any external indications and…even an inspection carried out by a tire expert may not reveal the extent of any deterioration". The U.S. Tire Industry Association says it has no plans to issue a warning.
The age of a tire can be found on the tire's sidewall. The code is at the end of a set of numbers and letters. All you need are the last three or four numbers. For example, if the last three numbers are 801, that means the tire was manufactured the 8th week of 2001, making the tire 7 years old, and in danger of tread separation, even if the tire is brand new.
© Attorneys Online™, Inc. | Law Firm Newsletter Provided by Attorneys Online™, Inc. |
