Many people tend to give tire checks a go-by and only think about doing it when going for a road trip or when we have a flat tire. A tire blow-out when you’re traveling at high speeds can be disastrous, so checking your tires for safety is an essential part of the regular car maintenance routine. Tire health and safety are important not just necessary for the driver but also for the passengers and other road users. Additionally, keeping the tires in top condition ensures comfort and convenience, keeps a vehicle road-worthy, and improves fuel efficiency.

You don’t need to be an auto expert or a trained mechanic to know how to check for tire safety. Checking the following can ensure well-maintained and long-lasting tires:

• Pressure: Tire pressure checking is a basic test for safety. Manufacturers prescribe the proper level of inflation in the auto manual, and it’s important to familiarize yourself with these standards. They can vary from vehicle to vehicle and between different tire brands and models, but correctly inflated tires reduce uneven wear and tear. Remember to check the manual and not the numbers on the tire-wall, as they indicate the rating for full load-carrying capacity.
• Tread: This is the part of the tire that has direct contact with the road. It provides traction and grip, allowing water to drain off the tire and protecting it from impact and sharp objects. Do the penny test to check whether the wear is evenly distributed, and the quarter coin test to check the depth of the grooves. These two tests can help you determine whether the tires are properly aligned, whether the pressure is optimal, and whether you need to alter your driving style.
• Visual checks: When wondering how to check for tire safety, giving your tires a thorough visual inspection is extremely effective if you know what to look for. In older tires, watch out for exposed cords, metal parts, or frayed fabric that indicate that a need to change the tires. If you notice cracks on the surface, keep a watch to check whether they increase, as they can deepen and expose the innards of the tire.
• Embedded objects: Your vehicle travels across different terrains, and the tires can pick up a variety of objects along the way. Screws, nails, stones, gravel, flint, glass pieces, and metal objects get embedded in the body of the tire and cause punctures. These objects can also cut through the tire sidewall, making the structure weaker. So, when thinking about how to check for tire safety, one of the ways is to keep an eye out for these objects.
• Bulges and bumps: This is more common in older sets of tires, so avoid buying used tires. Bulges or small bumps appear where air has got into the different layers of the tire, and they can cause a blow-out when you’re driving at high speeds. So, attend to this problem immediately.