Just taking care of your car isn’t enough. Practicing car tire safety is extremely important to increase the lifespan of your tires and also ensure road safety. Driving around with a flat tire is very dangerous. Driving your car with tires that don’t have enough tire pressure can do more harm to your car than you realize. It causes a drag that works against your car, which ultimately affects your mileage. It’s important to regularly check your tires for the safety of everybody in the car as well as other people on the road.

Here are some car tire safety tips you can follow to ensure that you are always safe on the road:

1. Choose the right tires
Do not purchase a tire by looking at how much it costs or its appearance. You should get tires that are recommended for your car. Talk to an expert to know which tires are the best for your car.

2. Check tire pressure regularly
It’s important to check the pressure of your tires once a month. Underinflation or overinflation is bad news for your tires. The former can result in tire failure whereas the latter may cause uneven wear, and stopping and handling problems. Ensure that you check for air pressure only when the tires cool down for accurate readings.

3. Drive slowly during when it rains
Driving slowly increases your tire’s footprint, giving you better traction and control. It also reduces aquaplaning if you drive into puddles.

4. Switch up the tires
It’s extremely important that you replace your tires with each other every 5,000 to 6,000 miles. Before every rotation check with a professional for any uneven wear and tear or any other technical problems and get it fixed. Rotating your tires ensure even wear and tear.

5. Keep a tire gauge in the car
A tire gauge will let you know if there is an adequate amount of tire pressure. Find an automotive store that sells a tire gauge for better car tire safety.

6. Check alignment
Make sure you get it checked by a professional if and when you see that your vehicle is pulling down on one side. This can prove to be very dangerous when on the road.

7. Inspect the treads
It’s important to check the tire tread to ensure that your tires are in good condition. Your tires’ ability to get rid of dirt and other debris decreases as the tire’s tread starts to wear down. You can check it yourself. Just place a penny in the groove of the tread; if Lincoln’s head is still visible, unfortunately, then you have to change your tires with new ones.

8. Get new tires for the rear axle
Make sure that you install new rear tires when you buy tires. This ensures you have better control of your car by giving you better traction on wet roads and, of course, better car tire safety.

9. Avoid overloading the car
Make sure to check the manual to determine the maximum load your car can carry. Overloading your car can cause your tires to excessively heat up from the inside, which can ultimately lead to tire failure.

10. Check tire balance
Make sure that you regularly check the wheel and tire assembly. If not in balance, this will most definitely cause uneven wear. Keep these car tire safety tips in mind the next time you hit the road!