What to know
In 2022, there were 1,770 crashes across New York State in which “tire failure/inadequacy” was listed as a contributing factor, including 375 injury crashes and three fatal crashes. For the study, AAA tested “direct” monitoring systems of tire pressure on 11 passenger vehicles from the years 2022-2024, including sedans, pickup trucks and SUVs. Drivers in our area are encouraged to check their tire pressure regularly, especially as we approach the winter months.
NEW YORK — A recent study by AAA found that a large number of car accidents in New York were caused by tire failures in 2022.
For the study, AAA tested “direct” tire pressure monitoring systems in 11 passenger vehicles from the years 2022-2024, including sedans, pickup trucks and SUVs. Direct systems have a battery-powered monitor and a radio transmitter mounted inside the tire that sends pressure information to a dashboard readout.
AAA testing of tire pressure monitoring systems found that they are generally accurate, but drivers should still check tire pressure manually, as proper tire inflation is critical to safety. and better gas mileage.
“AAA’s investigation demonstrated that the tire pressure monitoring systems mostly functioned as intended,” said Robert Sinclair, Jr. of AAA Northeast. “But drivers should use a manual tire pressure gauge once a month to ensure proper inflation because a tire must be 20 percent underinflated before a warning appears.”
All vehicles in the test have an amber warning light that comes on when the pressure is significantly lower than the recommended pressure. These alerts are helpful, but by the time they appear, your tire pressure is already low.
The amber warning light came on when the tires were deflated to 75 percent of the recommended pressure for five of the 11 test vehicles. Five more vehicles turned on the amber light when tire pressure dropped from 70.3 to 72.9 percent of the recommended pressure. One vehicle’s amber light never came on even though its numerical readout quickly showed pressure drops of up to 65 percent.
Tires must be properly inflated for safety and efficiency. Underinflated tires can overheat and burst, causing an extremely dangerous driving situation and can create additional rolling resistance, reducing fuel economy.
In 2022, there were 1,770 accidents across New York State in which “tire failure/inadequacy” was listed as a contributing factor, including 375 injury accidents and three fatal accidents.
Drivers in our area are encouraged to check their tire pressure regularly, especially as we approach the winter months.
The air in tires contracts at lower temperatures, reducing pressure. For every ten degrees the outside air temperature drops, tire pressure is reduced by 0.4 percent, compromising safety and reducing fuel economy.
2023-10-24 03:36:22
#Study #Tire #failure #considered #main #accidents
