Dangers of Underinflated or Flat Tires
Getting a flat tire is not exactly one of life’s many joys. Car tire problems are annoying, frustrating and – most importantly – dangerous. Tire safety is, as our Delray Beach personal injury lawyers at the Law Offices of Aronberg, Aronberg & Green know, a significant issue. In this blog post, we are going to explore a number of safety issues presented by underinflated or flat tires.
Underinflated Tires
Simply put, one should not drive on underinflated car tires. Even though most vehicles that you see on the road come equipped with four tires, each one of those four tires are crucial to the proper, safe operation of the vehicle. The theory that one faulty tire is counteracted by three properly inflated tires, for instance, is faulty and reckless. As Consumer Reports has noted, driving on an underinflated or worn tire increases the driver’s risk of having a car accident. Specifically, a report issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (the “NHTSA”) shows that vehicles with tire(s) underinflated by more than 25% are an astonishingly three times more likely to be involved in an auto accident related to tire issues than are vehicles with properly inflated tires.
Blown-out or flat tires
While the direct danger posed by underinflated car tires might have come as a surprise, what should not shock you is the fact that driving on a blown-out or flat car tire is extremely hazardous. As our Delray Beach personal injury lawyers know, when one or more of a vehicle’s car tires are blown-out or flat, steering the vehicle becomes difficult; as such, avoiding a collision becomes much harder to do. Driving on blown-out or flat tires is very dangerous, which is why cars come equipped with spare tires. With that said, we must note that even changing a car’s tire(s) can be dangerous and should only be done with extreme caution in a safe setting.
Changing a flat tire
Changing a flat tire on the side of the road can be incredibly dangerous – even fatal. In the United States, changing a driver’s side flat tire in a far-right lane or changing a passenger’s side flat tire in a far left lane exposes the person or people changing the flat tire to real dangers caused by cars passing by. Unfortunately, our Delray Beach personal injury lawyers commonly see reports of individuals, in Florida and throughout the country, being fatally struck by passing cars as they attempted to change a flat tire. If you have to change a flat tire, you must do so in an extremely cautious manner, away from moving vehicles.
For your safety, and that of those with whom you share the road, it is critically important for you to monitor your car tires’ levels of inflation – most new cars on the road today come equipped with electronic tire inflation monitoring systems. When you are notified of an underinflated tire, you must have the tires inflated to proper and safe levels, either by doing so on your own or by bringing your vehicle to a professional.
If you have any questions about this or any other personal injury issue, or if you or a loved one has been due to the recklessness or negligence of another, please contact our Delray Beach personal injury lawyers at Aronberg, Aronberg & Green by calling 561-266-9191 or by e-mailing us at daronberg@aronberglaw.com. We look forward to assisting you!
