Keeping your family safe this summer travel season

Low tire pressure adds to risk of accident, study shows

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Whether it's to spend a day at the beach or ride across the country, vacationers are hitting the road this summer. The busiest travel season of the year is here, and it's time to remind drivers of the importance of keeping their tires in the best possible condition.

A 2016 study by PNC on more than 2,000 adults in the U.S. showed 60 percent of travelers plan to use their vehicles to get to their vacation spot this summer, and tire pressure might not exactly be the first thing on their minds.

"Under-inflated tires are the leading cause of tire-related traffic incidents," said Elsa Foley, safety engineer for Nissan, during National Tire Safety Week.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, tire pressures, tread depth and tire damage are all major factors in tire-related crashes. In 37 percent of those crashes, the NHTSA said incorrectly inflated tires were a factor.

"You have to make sure you're checking at least once a month," said Foley.

AAA recommends checking tires when they are cold or before driving, especially when living in an area full of potholes or dirt roads. Many vehicles now come with a tire pressure-monitoring feature that lets drivers know when air pressure is low.

Checking tire pressure on a car that has warm tires can result in an inaccurate pressure reading of up to 5 pounds per square inch (psi) higher than the recommended pressure.

As of 2012, Nissan has included a unique "Easy-Fill Tire Alert" technology in eleven of its vehicles.

Representatives said the system "takes the guesswork out of regulating tire pressure" by having the car's lights flash when the air starts to flow and honking its horn when it has reached the correct pressure, according to Nissan.

If checking your tires is still not at the top of your to-do list, a federal study showed driving on under-inflated tires triples the risk of an accident. And roughly 200 people die a year because of tire-related crashes.

Filling up your tires can save you gas, too. Other than saving lives, keeping tires properly inflated can improve gas mileage by up to 3.3 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.