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Driving with correctly
inflated tires is important for several reasons:
- increased safety
- reduced treadwear
- improved handling and ride performance
- better fuel economy
Although most drivers know this, many still do not
take preventative action by regularly checking their tire pressure. According
to a survey by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration
(NHTSA), 27 percent of the passenger cars and 33 percent of the light trucks
(including SUVs, vans and pickups) on America's roads have at least one
substantially under-inflated tire.
New federal regulations may change
all that. As of September of 2005, new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
require that all new light vehicles must be equipped with an on-board Tire
Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) by September 1, 2008. By 2008, there will be
40 million vehicles equipped with TPMS.
Impact of
TPMS
Phased in over three years, the objective of the new act is "to
supplement regular tire maintenance on the part of drivers by providing a
warning system to alert them when one or more of a vehicle's tires become
significantly under-inflated. Under-inflation of tires increases the likelihood
of many different types of crashes, including those involving: (1) skidding
and/or loss of control of the vehicle; (2) hydroplaning; (3) increases in
stopping distance; (4) flat tires and blow-outs, and (5) overloading of the
vehicle."
 The NHTSA anticipates that 90
percent of drivers will respond to a TPMS low tire pressure warning by
re-inflating their tires to the recommended placard pressure.
To respond
to those dashboard warnings, drivers will need to visit a service station with
an air hose -- most of which do not have accurate tire pressure gauges. So
drivers will need their own personal tire gauge to correctly inflate their
tires.
Learn more about Accutire® digital tire pressure
gauges.
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