A woman in Dekalb County, Georgia is dead after a tire flew at and hit her minivan. A pick-up truck was driving north on I-85 when it’s tire popped off. It then flew over the median of the freeway and into the southbound lanes, where it finally landed in the minivan. The victim was driving the vehicle and she was 47-years-old. Her 16-year-old passeneger was hospitalized.
Terrible accidents like these are usually preventable. It is important that you always keep your tires properly inflated. After all, your car is riding on your tires.
• Check tire pressure monthly or more.
• Keep an eye out for cracks, uneven wear patterns and foreign objects. If you find any glass or foreign objects, remove them.
• Check your valve caps.
• Slow down or go around potholes if safe.
Here are the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s steps for checking tire pressure:
1. Locate the correct tire pressure on the tire information placard or in the owner’s manual.
2. Record the tire pressure of all tires.
3. If the tire pressure is too high in any of the tires, slowly release air by gently pressing on the tire valve with the edge of your tire gauge until you get to the correct pressure.
4. If the tire pressure is too low, note the difference between the measured tire pressure and the correct tire pressure. These “missing” pounds of pressure are what you will need to add.
5. At a service station, add the missing pounds of air pressure to each tire that is underinflated.
6. Check all the tires to make sure they have the same air pressure (except in cases in which the front and rear tires are supposed to have different amounts of pressure).