Understanding tires and how they can keep you safe

Tire tread....it is what will keep you safe while driving.



According to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration):

Tire Tread
"The tire tread provides the gripping action and traction that prevent your vehicle from slipping or sliding, especially when the road is wet or icy. In general, tires are not safe and should be replaced when the tread is worn down to 1/16 of an inch. Tires have built-in treadwear indicators that let you know when it is time to replace your tires. These indicators are raised sections spaced intermittently in the bottom of the tread grooves. When they appear "even" with the outside of the tread, it is time to replace your tires. Another method for checking tread depth is to place a penny in the tread with Lincoln's head upside down and facing you. If you can see the top of Lincoln's head, you are ready for new tires."

Tire Rotation
"Rotating tires from front to back and from side to side can reduce irregular wear (for vehicles that have tires that are all the same size). Look in your owner's manual for information on how frequently the tires on your vehicle should be rotated and the best pattern for rotation."

A Tire Rotation Example
For maximum mileage, rotate your tires every 5,000 miles. Follow correct rotation patterns. 

Picture provided by the NHTSA website

I understand the trouble it takes and the time it takes to check your tires....a whole 30 seconds on each one....allowing 15 seconds to move to the next one.....THREE whole minutes and a penny. This reminds me of "I don't want to wrinkle my clothes so I don't wear my seat belt" reasoning. Imagine how wrinkled your clothes get from a car accident...or worse yet how damaged they get if the First Responders have to cut them off you.

Bad  tires can cause injuries that will take longer than THREE seconds to recover from.  Let's imagine you check your tires once a month for the entire life you drive.  Starting at age 16 and going to the age of 80.  This is 64 years of driving at 36 minutes a YEAR of precautionary measures is ONLY 2304 minutes which is LESS than TWO days of your driving life.  Now, if car accident injuries only lasted two days I would say, "ah, not worth it."  BUT THEY DON'T!!!  Car accident injuries can last a lifetime of recovery, pain and suffering....not to mention the emotional distress that can be caused if a life is lost in this accident. You and everyone on the road deserves to be safe....and for less than two days in your driving life you can help this happen.

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What is Road Rage?

We have all gotten angry while driving.  We have all either honked, or wanted to honk, at someone who has cut us off.  Some of us have actually given a few "gestures" while passing someone who has angered us on the road.

Matthew Joint, Head of Behavioral Analysis, states that in 1995 tailgating was the most common form of "road rage" followed closely flashing your headlights at someone.

Statistics show that 250,000 people have died in traffic since 1990. It is believed that two-thirds of these deaths are at least partially caused by aggressive driving, although only 218 were found to be a direct cause of angry drivers. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 66 percent of all annual traffic fatalities are caused by aggressive driving actions, such as passing on the right, running red lights and tailgating. In addition to fatalities, there have been an estimated 20 million injuries; 12,610 caused by aggressive driving. These numbers show that there has been a 51 percent increase in aggressive driving incidents since 1990. Of these incidents, 37 percent involved the use of a firearm, 28 percent involved other weapons, and 35 percent involved the use of a car as a weapon. Related to this increase in aggressive driving incidents may be the fact that the number of drivers on the road is increasing; as of 1990, 91 percent of people drove to work.

This video is a minor incident of road rage but it's these minor incidents that, if they happen with the wrong person, could lead to car accident injuries or death.

In this video it was very fortunate that no one was injured or killed by this person who displayed extreme road rage.

Dr. John A. Larson, author of Steering Clear of Highway Madness, groups aggressive drivers into five categories: Speeders, passive aggressors, narcissists, vigilantes, and competitors. Several characteristics are related to the most typical aggressive driver: being under 35, single, no education and a mid-level income. Furthermore, although women are more likely to confess to angry driving, men are more likely to participate in true “road rage”, in which an angry driver intentionally harms another driver. Whether or not an aggressive driver takes physical action depends on the degree of anger he or she feels. “If someone pulls out in front of you or cuts you off, you may be justified at four or five on a scale of 10…if you’re up to seven to 10, though, that’s an exaggerated response,” says Larson.
Redford Williams, M.D., at Duke University, points to a hostile personality type as an indicator of someone who is more likely to get angry quicker. “They are also four to seven times more likely to die of other health problems by age 50 than are even-tempered people,” said Williams. For example, people with long drives to work are found to have higher blood pressure than people who take shorter routes to work. One frustrated commuter states, “it feels unnatural to forget about the jerk riding my tail or ducking in front of me to save half a second and some drivers—not me, of course – respond to overaggressive road behavior as if piloting a car were a contest. They drive to ‘win’ rather than simply to get to their destination.”

If you are an aggressive driver pay close attention to what Dr. John A. Larson says:  there is a reason you are an aggressive driver and it could be because of other issues in your life that could lead to health problems.

If you are a victim caught in the crosswinds of an aggressive driver remain calm and get away from the driver.  Never pull over in a deserted area.  Get the license plate of the aggressive driver and if you have a cell phone call 911.

Remember, no one's life is worth a little anger.  No death is acceptable under these conditions.  Please drive safe.

Colorado Car Wreck | The Auto Injury Clinic is there to help you if you are the victim of an aggressive driver.

Please don't drink and drive

How many drinks would it take to be considered drunk?  Too drunk to drive?  Have you ever wondered....okay have you ever wondered this BEFORE you started drinking and not after?

Okay, one (1) drink per hour is a safe calculation.....it's too hot after that long.

Here is a calculator that tells you (estimate) what your BAC (Blood Alcohol Count) would be after so many drinks in so many hours.....COOL!! BUT.....I just learned that if I have four (4) beers at 6% alcohol in 2 1/12 hours oops DUI.  This shocked me because when I have four (4) beers at 6% alcohol in 2 1/2 hours I FEEL FINE....I guess that's where the impairment comes in huh?

So here's the thing.  No one wants you to drive drunk or impaired....even bar owners.  If you aren't safe you won't return, am I right?  It used to be called a $10,000 DUI...well those days are over because the with the increase of insurance, legal fees, fines, bail it could be up to $25,000 when you are finished.....that is $6250.00 PER BEER I just had.  MSN has a breakdown of most fees that may be incurred with a DUI. (MSN Money arrive alive).

It is important that if you are going to be drinking please do not drive.  Get a designated driver, call a cab or call a friend (hopefully not the friend who was sitting next to you drinking with you).  I am going to have to call someone or have a designated driver as the calculator says I am allowed two (2) beers at 6% alcohol in a 2 1/2 hour time span.

Colorado Car Wreck | The Auto Injury Clinic wants you to be safe.  Please know your limit and always have a designated driver before going out.

Teenage drivers

One of the most exciting events in a teenager's life is also the most deadliest.

What every parent should know but is often afraid to know

 

Information provided by:
Insurance Institute for Highway safety
and Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association


In 2007, the latest year for which data are available, motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death among 13-19 year-old males and females in the United States.

• A total of 3,466 teenagers ages 13-19 died in motor vehicle crashes in 2009. This is 60 percent fewer than in 1975 and 15 percent fewer than in 2008. 
• Thirty-three percent of deaths among 13-19-year-olds occurred in motor vehicle crashes, 39 percent among females and 31 percent among males.
• 16-year-olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age.
• The crash rate per mile driven is twice as high for 16-year-olds as it is for 18- and 19-year-olds.
• About 2 out of every 3 teenagers killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2009 were males.
• Sixty percent of teenage passenger deaths in 2009 occurred in vehicles driven by another teenager. Among deaths of passengers of all ages, 18 percent occurred when a teenager was driving.
• Statistics show that 16- and 17-year-old driver death rates increase with each additional passenger.
• Eighty-three percent of teenage motor vehicle crash deaths in 2009 were passenger vehicle occupants. The others were pedestrians (7 percent), motorcyclists (4 percent), bicyclists (2 percent), riders of all-terrain vehicles (2 percent), and people in other kinds of vehicles (2 percent).
• Fifty-five percent of motor vehicle crash deaths among teenagers in 2009 occurred on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
• In states with GDL programs that include at least five of the most important elements, there was a 20% reduction in fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers.
• In 2006 (latest data available) crashes involving 15- to 17-year-olds cost more than $34 billion nationwide in medical treatment, property damage and other costs, according to an AAA analysis.

How do teenage crashes differ from those of other drivers
According to the IIHS
Analyses of fatal crash data indicate that crashes of teenage drivers are more likely to be attributed to driver error. Teenagers' fatal crashes are more likely to involve speeding than those of older drivers, and teenagers are more likely than drivers of other ages to be in single-vehicle fatal crashes. Plus teenagers do more of their driving in small and older cars and at night, compared with adults. In 2010, 17 percent of teenagers' fatalities occurred between 9 p.m. and midnight, and 24 percent occurred between midnight and 6 a.m. Fifty-five percent of teenagers' fatalities occurred on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

The more you know, the more prepared you are the safer your child will be.  Colorado Car Wreck would rather not meet you under these circumstance but should you ever need us we will be there to help you.

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