Posted by The Law Firm of Pajcic & Pajcic in Personal Injury
Pictures from an actual Pajcic case file show a 12-year-old spare tire that looked brand new and failed shortly after being put into service. It resulted in multiple deaths and one person being paralyzed.
Summer – the fun time when children are out of school and families hit the road to make memories.
Sadly, a road trip can quickly turn tragic which is why it’s important to remember this vehicle safety tip. People hear to pay attention to signs of wear and maintaining proper inflation, but less is said about the age of a tire.
At Pajcic & Pajcic, we’ve handled our share of tragedies involving an aged tire. The story routinely starts with a family or group setting off on a road trip only to get a flat tire. The spare tire looks brand new and has plenty of tread so they put it into service. Then, the spare tire fails leading to a loss of vehicle control at highway speeds followed by a catastrophe.
Why? A tire is a perishable item with a limited useful life. A tire is made up of layers (steel belts, fabric plies, rubber) that eventually degrade over time. Even when a tire looks great and has plenty of tread, you cannot tell what is happening underneath the surface. Not surprisingly, even tire professionals sometimes overlook checking the age of a tire.
Although not consumer friendly, you can decipher a tire’s age using the last four digits of the DOT number on the sidewall. For example, 5203 tells you its manufactured the 52nd week of 2003.
Vehicle and tire manufacturers differ among themselves on how old a tire should be before replacement. Regardless of remaining tread life, some suggest as early as four years while others say up to 10 years from the date of manufacture. Also, a lot depends upon the conditions and environment where the tire is being used. Hot climates tend to be more brutal on tires.
The Pajcic takeaway is that, in addition to keeping our tires properly inflated, always be mindful of the age of a tire. A failure at highway speeds can cause a loss of control of your vehicle. Be safe out there.
Summer – the fun time when children are out of school and families hit the road to make memories.
Sadly, a road trip can quickly turn tragic which is why it’s important to remember this vehicle safety tip. People hear to pay attention to signs of wear and maintaining proper inflation, but less is said about the age of a tire.
At Pajcic & Pajcic, we’ve handled our share of tragedies involving an aged tire. The story routinely starts with a family or group setting off on a road trip only to get a flat tire. The spare tire looks brand new and has plenty of tread so they put it into service. Then, the spare tire fails leading to a loss of vehicle control at highway speeds followed by a catastrophe.
Why? A tire is a perishable item with a limited useful life. A tire is made up of layers (steel belts, fabric plies, rubber) that eventually degrade over time. Even when a tire looks great and has plenty of tread, you cannot tell what is happening underneath the surface. Not surprisingly, even tire professionals sometimes overlook checking the age of a tire.
Although not consumer friendly, you can decipher a tire’s age using the last four digits of the DOT number on the sidewall. For example, 5203 tells you its manufactured the 52nd week of 2003.
Vehicle and tire manufacturers differ among themselves on how old a tire should be before replacement. Regardless of remaining tread life, some suggest as early as four years while others say up to 10 years from the date of manufacture. Also, a lot depends upon the conditions and environment where the tire is being used. Hot climates tend to be more brutal on tires.
The Pajcic takeaway is that, in addition to keeping our tires properly inflated, always be mindful of the age of a tire. A failure at highway speeds can cause a loss of control of your vehicle. Be safe out there.
Post Authored by: Attorney Raymond Reid