National Tire Safety Week

NATIONAL TIRE SAFETY WEEK

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, today I wish to talk about tire safety. Just last week, we recognized National Tire Safety Week. Now in its third year, National Tire Safety Week is sponsored by the Rubber Manufacturers Association, and supported by numerous other organizations, to help educate consumers about the importance of tire safety.

Combined with safer roads and more responsible drivers, improved vehicle safety is essential to help reduce the tragic number of motor vehicle injuries and fatalities that occur each year. Tire pressure and tread depth are critical safety components of any automobile. Under-inflated tires and worn or damaged tread can cause tire blowouts and hydroplaning-both of which can lead to devastating accidents on our highways. The Rubber Manufacturers Association estimates that only 15 percent of drivers properly check their tire pressure, and only 30 percent of all drivers know how to tell when their tires are "bald." Tire safety week is an important means to improve these numbers.

The goal of National Tire Safety Week is to raise public awareness of tire safety and provide consumers with simple, common sense, and inexpensive ways to help increase the safety of their tires and vehicles. Consumers can greatly maximize the safety of their vehicles by properly checking tire pressure, maintaining proper alignment and rotation of their tires, and replacing worn tires. These simple procedures can greatly reduce an individual's risk of a motor vehicle accident-and in some cases, save lives.

I thank the Rubber Manufacturers Association, as well as tire and auto service dealers and innovators in the tire safety community for participating in this important week and for their sustained effort to increase automobile safety. I also encourage them to continue their significant progress on the development of safer tires and improved consumer awareness. Working together, we can all enhance tire safety and save lives.