Tires: NHTSA

Tires: NHTSA

Because safety is our top priority, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Department of Transportation want to make sure you have the tools to avoid being in vehicle crashes. TireWise is your resource to help you make smart decisions to keep you and your family safe, whether you’re in the market to buy new tires or want to extend the life and safety of the ones on your car or truck.

Safety Facts
622
TOTAL MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC FATALITIES IN 2021 IN TIRE-RELATED CRASHES

Being Tire Wise is essential to safe driving. The only thing between you and the road are your tires. TireWise provides drivers with information about buying tires, tire maintenance and labeling, aging, fuel efficiency, and tire retailers. TireWise is also a resource for tire manufacturers, sellers and other partners to provide essential information to consumers for choosing and caring for their tires.

Life of a Tire
This video highlights the importance of checking tire pressure, rotating tires, and checking tire tread.

Tires Get Recalled, Too
Find out more and check to see if your tires have been recalled here.

When there are problems with tires, you can rely on NHTSA to keep you informed. But we also need your help. Search for tire recalls and report a tire safety complaint to NHTSA.

Buying
TIRE BUYERS’ FAQ — WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW AND ASK
The next time you’re in the market to buy tires, be sure to print out these Tire Buyers’ FAQ (PDF, 250 KB) to equip yourself with key purchasing information about tires. Once you’ve selected the right tires for you and your vehicle, our handbook Congratulations on Your New Tire Purchase (PDF, 269 KB) can help you locate and record important information that you’ll need throughout the service life of your new tires.

What type of tire should I buy?
This will vary by where you live and the typical weather you drive in. All-season tires can handle a variety of road conditions. They have some mud and snow capabilities.
Winter tires are more effective than all-season tires in deep snow.
Summer tires are warm-weather tires that are not designed to operate in temperatures below freezing, or on snow and ice.
All-terrain tires are mainly used on four-wheel drive vehicles. They provide a good compromise between on-road driving and off-road capability.
How are tires rated? What does the tire safety rating mean?
Many tires are rated by the U.S. Government on treadwear, traction performance and temperature resistance. The rating system is called the Uniform Tire Quality Grading System, and the tire ratings are on the sidewall of every passenger vehicle tire sold in the United States.

Treadwear
Traction
Temperature
What size tires should I buy?
Tire Safety Ratings Lookup
To help you buy tires, NHTSA has rated thousands of tire lines, including most used on passenger cars, minivans, SUVs and light pickup trucks. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading System lets you compare tire treadwear, traction performance, and temperature resistance. See how your tires measure up.

Maintenance
SAFETY TIPS
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Make certain the van has appropriately sized and load-rated tires that are properly inflated before every trip.
How well do you take care of your tires? Do you keep them properly inflated? Do you check to see if they’re worn? How much do you know about basic tire maintenance and its impact on safety and fuel consumption? If you care about your safety, and about saving money, it’s important to understand how tires affect your vehicle’s performance.

Stay safe by taking care of your tires
Poor tire maintenance—not having enough air in your tires and failing to rotate your tires, among other maintenance requirements—can lead to a flat tire, blowout, or the tread coming off your tire.
In 2021, a total of 622 people died on the road in tire-related crashes.
Save money by taking care of your tires
Properly inflating your tires can save you as much as 11 cents per gallon on fuel. Yet only 19 percent of consumers properly inflate their tires. That means four out of five consumers are wasting money because of underinflated tires!
Additional proper tire maintenance, such as rotation, balance and alignment, can help your tires last longer, which will in turn save you money. In fact, properly inflated tires can extend the average life of a tire by 4,700 miles.

Click here for more safety tips from NHTSA