Tire-Related Car Accidents

Most of us would rather not think about the tires on our car but we can give you 11,000 reasons you should; each year, approximately 11,000 car accidents are directly attributable to bad tires. Of course, this number does not include car and truck accidents that were not directly attributable to bad tires but nonetheless could have been avoided with better tires. Bad tires can compromise your safety and the safety of others on the road in a variety of ways. Here are the five key factors you should keep in mind:

• Tread - Bald or worn-out tires do not provide as much grip on the road. Without sufficient grip, it can be easier for a driver to lose control particularly in snowy or wet road conditions. Likewise, tires with very little or no tread are much more susceptible to hydroplaning, and a lack of grip can make it more difficult for you to bring your vehicle to a stop. Tires should be replaced when the tread is worn down to 2/32nd of an inch.
• Inflation – A tire that is underinflated or overinflated is more prone to a blowout. While not every blowout causes an accident, blowouts can cause a loss of control especially at higher speeds. In addition, an underinflated tire can permit rubbing between the tire and wheel resulting in a fire. Vehicles manufactured after 2008 are equipped with a Tire-Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), and the TPMS system will alert you if a tire is underinflated.
• Age - Tread depth is not the only factor for determining whether a tire is safe. The age of the tire is also critical with most manufacturers recommending replacement after 6 years regardless of the number of miles driven. Age is important to remember for anyone driving a vehicle irregularly. For instance, a church van that is only driven locally on Sundays to pick up parishioners. Or, if you own a second vehicle and only drive it occasionally. Under these circumstances, the tires may reach their age limit before they lose tread. If you have bought a used car or a used tire, you need to investigate the age of the tire. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, you can determine the date of manufacture of a tire by examining the markings on the sidewall. Look for the “DOT”, which is followed by numbers. The last four digits represent the week and year the tire was manufactured.
• Improperly Installed – This can include a number of different factors including a failure to properly tighten lug nuts, tread or size imbalance, etc.
• Defective Tires – If the manufacturer of the tires failed to properly design or manufacture the tire, a product liability claim may be appropriate.

The proper design, manufacture, installation and maintenance of tires are all terribly important for your safety, the safety of your passengers and the safety of the other drivers and occupants around you. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, whether tire-related or otherwise, our award-winning attorneys would be honored to help you.

We offer a free, no obligation consultation. It is so simple. Give us a call, tell us about your accident and we will tell you if we think you have a case. If you do and you decide to hire us, we will handle your accident case on a contingency basis, which means we only get paid if we win and we will advance all of the necessary costs for making the claim. We have three convenient Middle Tennessee locations, and we are always willing to come to you if you can’t come to us for any reason.

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Murfreesboro: (615) 867-9900
Toll-Free: (866) 812-8787