Five minutes — that’s all it takes to make your vehicle safer by checking your tires. But in a recent Farmers survey, 14 percent of drivers surveyed said they never check their tire pressure, and 30 percent don’t perform proper maintenance (aligning wheels, balancing tires) more than once every two years.

To me, these findings show that many people just don’t understand why checking their tires is so important. It can reduce the risk of tire failure - and accidents - and save you money by increasing the life of your tires and improving your gas mileage. (Properly inflated tires can improve your mileage by up to 3 percent per year - saving you hundreds of dollars.) I want to help you stay safe by alerting you to a few simple steps you can take to make your ride safer. Here’s an easy safety checldist:

• Keep a tire-pressure gauge in your vehicle. I was amazed to learn that one-third of drivers who responded to the Farmers survey don’t follow this simple practice. Check your tire pressure at least once a month - and don’t forget the spare tire. Inflate your tires to the manufacturer-recommended PSI (pounds per square inch specified in your owner’s manual or on the inside of your driver-side door. 
• Inspect tires for uneven wear patterns and check whether any objects have become wedged in the tread.
• Have your vehicle’s wheels aligned and the tires properly balanced regularly. Your owner’s manual will show how often the tires should be rotated.

In addition to checking your tire safety, let’s also check your Auto coverage. I want to help you make sure it’s in top-notch condition and that you’re covered from the ground up.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 17th, 2006 at 4:29 pm and is filed under Insurance, Auto. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.