Gordon Graham
Category: Public Safety

Gordon Graham here with Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Today’s Tip is for public safety.

Driving on underinflated tires increases the chances of a crash.

Today’s Tip deals with inspecting your tires, and this Tip is for anyone in public safety who drives a vehicle during the workday.  

Inspecting and maintaining your equipment is important. The car, truck, SUV, van, or firefighting apparatus you drive at work is no exception. This includes the pressure in the tires. 

Ensuring your tires are in good condition might not be your top priority right now. But if you have a tire failure in a crisis, you will wish it had been. 

The tires on most of our work vehicles get more use and abuse than the tires on our personal vehicles. The sad reality is that many of us do not regularly inspect our tires. 

When is the last time you checked the tire pressure on all four of your tires? Even though you probably don’t perform the actual maintenance on your vehicle, you should still check the tires. 

It should not be a surprise to know that driving on underinflated tires increases the chances of a crash. Underinflated tires are more prone to overheating. Under inflation can cause tire failure. It can affect vehicle handing. It can decrease tire tread life. 

What if your vehicle has a tire pressure monitoring system? Some systems do not provide a warning until the tires reach about 25 percent deflation. You can experience decreased performance and unsafe conditions long before the warning sounds. 

Please take the time to check your tire pressure today and every day. If you don’t have a pressure gauge, you can get one for about the cost of a cup of coffee.  

That’s Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Gordon Graham, signing off.