Readers would like some final resolution
Maintaining a motor vehicle and precision driving both require an owner/operator to constantly think and learn. That’s why readers who seek answers to important questions regarding their vehicle use encourage me. Your latest batch of queries brings some noteworthy topics to light.
Tire Age
Reader F.P. asked if it’s time to replace his trailer tires upon celebration or their (the tires’) 17th birthday. Well, I hate to say it, F.P., but the answer to that is going to give us a new, little know item to worry about: tire age.
Right now, SRS, a Massachusetts auto-safety research organization is petitioning the federal government to require easy to read “born on” dates for car and truck tires. The reason? Upon recent study, old tires have been deemed responsible for small numbers of accidents and deaths. The findings determined that tires degrade after six years — even if not used — because of the rubber’s age. Ply separation and sidewall failure are possible byproducts of running aged tires.
Tires already have date codes imprinted on their sidewalls, but I can see why there is a cry for simplifying this information. First, you will usually have to look on the inside of the tire to find the code. The outside of a white letter or white wall tire is obvious, but a black wall tire has an outside also, which is usually more decorative than the inside. Many black wall tires are mounted arbitrarily, however, and white letter or white wall tires are often mounted black side out, for owner preference.
So, usually on the inward side of the tire, one can find the letters DOT, followed by one or more ovals. The last oval contains either three or four digits. If there are three, the first two represent the week of the year, and the last digit is the year of manufacture (448 means the 44th week of 1988 or 1998). To distinguish between the ‘80s and ‘90s decades, tires made in the 1990s have a triangular mark to the right of the manufacture date. Beginning with the year 2000, there are four digits — the first two are the week of the year, and the last two are the year of manufacture (3202 means the 32nd week of 2002).
The British Rubber Manufacturers Association states that an unused tire should not be put into service if it is over six years old, and that all tires should be replaced after 10 years from the date of manufacture. An RV association reports that most owners have adopted a seven-year replacement policy for their vehicle and trailer tires.
Tire storage practices, both before and after going into service, along with tire maintenance, are other factors affecting useful tire life. The U.S. tire industry has not published any official policy on tire age yet, but auto manufacturers have. The ones who take a stance recommend an average of six-year “expiration dates.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is studying this issue, so we will hear more about it. There is little doubt that degradation of rubber takes place over time, compromising a tire’s original level of safety.
Litter
Highway litter is a major nuisance, potential hazard, and huge cost to citizens. Citizen and reader F.F., of Harrison, Idaho asks, “Why is it OK to throw one’s garbage out the window? Why is it OK to toss cigarette butts just anywhere?” Well, F.F, it’s really not OK, but it certainly takes place. Just ask the 1,200 Idaho groups, and 1,400 Washington groups that volunteer in their state’s Adopt-a-Highway programs.
In Washington alone, businesses, clubs, fraternal organizations, schools, churches, families, and individuals remove about 600 tons of litter per year from their adopted sections of roadway. These caring people agree to clean up 2-to-4-mile stretches of roadside two to six times per year for at least two years. This volunteer effort only accounts for about half of the total litter removal. Altogether, removal of Washington’s highway trash costs taxpayers about $1.3 million.
The lawmakers sure don’t feel that it’s OK to toss your trash — a complex fine schedule charges offenders $50 to $5,000, depending on severity. That highest fine is for unsecured loads that cause bodily harm to someone. At times, though, the harm is not evident — blowing litter often obscures a driver’s vision, leading to an accident.
So, the stuff getting tossed from vehicles onto our roads is not only unattractive, but is potentially dangerous. Besides that, it takes over a million years for plastic and Styrofoam to decompose. Although the law requiring a litterbag in your vehicle was repealed in 2003, it wasn’t meant to condone litterbug behavior. Please help the cause by holding trash in you vehicle until you find a proper disposal recepticle — or better yet, choose a segment to clean from the thousands of miles of roadway available for adoption.
Two-pedal Drivers
B.B. of Spokane asks why there are so many “two-pedal” drivers — those who drive with one foot on the brake and one foot on the gas. I don’t know the answer to that one B.B., but I got a kick out of your proposed device that would sound an obnoxious buzzer when a driver used both the throttle and brake at the same time. It really is disconcerting when the brake lights keep flashing on a vehicle under way.
Safest Drivers
R.F, who lives in Davenport, asked me what area has the safest drivers. Apparently they have plenty of precision drivers in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, R.F. That community enjoys the lowest accident rate per registered vehicle and per total miles traveled in the United States. Evidently they practice what it takes for precision driving — knowledge, skill, and effort.