South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog

In South Florida, our roads can turn from hot and dry to wet and slippery in a matter of seconds making for dangerous driving conditions! As we approach summer, afternoon thunderstorms are certainly headed our way and with that we can find ourselves in dangerous driving conditions rather quickly. Also, if you plan on drivng to your summer vacation destination, make sure your tires are in good shape for the trip.

With that said, here is a little background on your tires.

In North America, regulations require tire manufacturers to grade passenger car tires. These regulations are based on treadwear, traction, and temperature resistance. Treadwear is based on the wear rate of the tire. A wear rating of 300 to 400 is considered good; 500 to 700 is very good. Further, a tire graded 200 would wear twice as long as one graded 100. Traction grades (from highest to lowest: AA, A, B, and C) represent the tire's ability to stop on wet pavement. Temperature grades (from highest to lowest: A, B, and C) represent the tire's resistance to the generation of heat.

If you're only buying one or two tires at a time, always put the new tires on the rear axle. It's a myth that putting the new tires on your drive-wheel position will give you the most protection; instead, doing so will make your vehicle more susceptible to oversteer (fishtailing or swinging out during fast cornering).

Under-inflated tires wear more on the outside edges. Over-inflated tires wear excessively in the center of the tread.

You may think in today's economy pennies have lost their use and value. Not so fast; use a penny to determine if the tread on your tires is too low. Take a penny and put Abe's head into one of the grooves of the tread. If part of his head is covered by the tread, you're ok. If you can see all of Abe's head, it's time to replace the tire. When the tread is worn down to 1/16 of an inch, your tires should be replaced.

Most manufacturers put "P" (passenger car) rated tires on 4WD trucks as well. Some put "LT" (light truck) tires on SUVs and four-wheel drive trucks, but most do not.

The "T" on your tire's sidewall does not stand for Truck, it stands for "temporary" spare.

The "recommended" tire pressure is almost always lower than the "maximum" tire pressure printed on the tire's sidewall. Check your owner's manual to find out where to look on your vehicle for the recommended amount of air (usually on the driver's door, the glove compartment, or the gas filler door).

Since tires can harden and crack with age, you should steer clear of old tires and buy the freshest ones available. Here's how to tell: Every tire carries a U.S. Dept. of Transportation serial number on the sidewall (EX: DOT M6 RV T1HR 499). The last 3 digits are a date code indicating the week and year the tire was made. (EX: the 49th week of 1999).

Most punctures, nail holes or cuts up to 1/4 inch and confined to the tread may be satisfactorily repaired by trained personnel using industry-approved methods.

For the most accurate reading, tire pressure must be checked when tires are cold. You can check tire pressure any time of the day, as long as the tires have been sitting for a few hours or haven’t been driven for more than a few miles.

Under normal loads, you should inflate tires according to the vehicle manufacturer's recommendations, NOT the maximum pressure listed on the sidewall.

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If you have a teen driver in your family, make sure that they have the proper car insurance coverage. The number 1 cause of death among teens in the U.S. are auto accidents. There is a huge increase in fatality rates for teen drivers between the ages of 16 to 19 compared to drivers between the age of 25 to 69 years old. According to a recent article in the Miami Herald, teen drivers are 4 times more likely to get into a fatal accident between the ages of 16 to 19.

So what are ways to help save on your teen's car insurance? First, make sure that your teen is aware of the importance of keeping a clean driving record. By having only one offense, such as a ticket or and/or accident, a teenager's insurance rate could take their premium to an all time high. That being stated, a record of an accident or ticket can stay with them for years and their record can only be wiped clean over time. For example, if a driver receives one ticket a year that drivers record will usually carry at least 2 to 3 tickets at a time which causes rates to go up quite a bit. Teenage drivers who care about their driving records will always prevail when it comes to getting lower insurance rates.

Other factors to consider for your teen driver are what type of vehicle your son or daughter may drive. When the time comes, whether it's a new car, a car for a graduation gift, or your own car you've been driving as a "hand me down," it would be wise not to turn the keys over to them if the vehicle if it is a sports car, luxury car, or other type of vehicle that is expensive and has the image and feel it needs to be driven fast. Teenagers are statistically shown to drive faster whether they're in grandma's car or any car for that matter. Allowing your teen to drive a safe and modest vehicle could help decrease their changes of being tempted to speed or show off.

As every parent is aware, communication is vital at this age and so are driving rules. It's imperative that your teen understands the importance of good common driving habits and ethics.
Giving the teen driving guidelines and words of wisdom from your own past experiences; this is a great way to start.

Another suggestion to keeping rates low is the amount of driving they will be doing. Insurance companies know the estimated milage of the vehicle the teen will be driving, and as a result insurance rates can increase as the estimated mileage increases. Making small steps like taking the bus to school or work will help and they can still gain driving experience throughout the summer or on weekends.

Floridians are making it a priority to buckle up more than ever. Since the implementation of Florida's new primary seat belt law which took effect on June 30th of this year, a survey has shown that seat belt usage is at an all-time high of 85 percent in Florida.

What's remarkable about this increase is it marks the first time Florida's rate has excceded the national average of 84 percent.

The the new law set in place allows for police officers to pull drivers over soley for not wearing a safety belt.

The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) estimates the primary seat belt law will assist in saving approximately 125 lives per year and will prevent more than 1,700 serious injuries from occuring.

Interestingly, surveys also show that drivers in South Florida use seat belts more often than drivers in other parts of the state.

Although the rate of women buckling up is greater than men (89 percent of women use seat belts, the rate for men is 84 percent,) the fact that overall seat belt usage is on the upswing is a significant improvement in Florida's safety belt statistics.

The cost for a seat belt violation is $30.00 for adults and $60.00 for a child.

The bottom line is, if you crash your car or truck, you are more likely to survive if you are wearing a seat belt.