Apart from giving a smoother ride than the steel-bound wooden wheels used a century or more ago, tires are extremely useful for controlling a vehicle and for traction. These capabilities only come with properly cared-for tires that are in good condition.
When tires are in good condition, you will experience fewer blowouts, less slipping on corners, and less skidding in wet conditions — which will give you better control of your vehicle. Good traction contributes to good control. Your tires will adhere to the road surface and keep the vehicle heading in the desired direction without sudden slipping or skidding.
Preview Required Condition - Inflation and Tread
You must make sure your tires are properly inflated in accordance with the manufacturer's directions, and that they have deep treads that can assimilate and eject water on the road before it builds up and disconnects the tire from the road surface. The minimum tread allowed by law is 1/32nd of an inch in any two adjacent treads anywhere in the tire.
No matter how much tread a tire has, it will not provide sufficient traction in snow or ice conditions. Always use chains or snow tires when signposts or driving conditions call for them.
Preview Maintenance
Check tire pressure when the tires are cold (i.e., when they haven't warmed up from being driven or from sitting in the sun).
Visually inspect your tires for foreign objects, such as nails, glass, or metal stuck in the side walls or tread; have the tire fixed where these exist.
Where tread depths are low, check the indicator bar built into the tire. Where a tire shows signs of flat or bumpy areas, replace it.
If you have tires are rotated from front to rear every 5,000 miles or so, they will last longer. Rotating tires distributes the greater wear experienced by the front tires around all four tires.
Preview Reducing Injuries and Fatalities
Preview
Wearing a shoulder harness and lap belt reduces the chances of being thrown around in your vehicle, or from it, during a collision. As you cannot predict when you may crash, it is safer to always wear a safety belt. Your chances of surviving a collision are 3 or 4 times greater with a safety belt than without one. Without a safety belt, you will fly into or through the windshield, or into the steering column, or be thrown from the vehicle.