Chicago Automobile Wreck Attorneys Discuss Accidents Caused by Old Tires

Bald tires are a serious safety hazard. However, this does not mean that your new-looking, less-used tires are completely always safe for use either. In this post, our top-rated Chicago car accident lawyer will discuss other factors that determine a tire’s safety.

Road wear on the treads is just one of the factors that affect the tires’ safety, even if you have never driven on a particular set of tires, they can still age and degrade with time. According to automobile experts, once the tires are around 6 years old, they start to become unsafe, because the antioxidants that are meant to protect the rubber from ageing lose most of their efficiency. This makes tires brittle and prone to cracking. This ultimately leads to tread separation, which can cause a serious car accident.

The risk becomes even bigger if the driver fails to identify the signs of tread separation and does not know how to react to it. When the tread starts separating from the tire, it creates a drag and pulls the car towards the side that has the damaged tire. In most cases, the drivers react to this situation by steering the wheel in the other direction. However, the drag stops when the tread separates, but the driver keeps overcorrecting. In this situation, if the driver jerks the wheel in the other direction, it can cause a rollover direction.

Thinking of buying used tires?

Many people choose to buy old cars or even old tires for various reasons. Oftentimes, these used vehicles do not come with complete and proper service records. This means, there is no way to tell how old these tires are. In many cases, the tires look new, like they have not been used much. Sometimes, used car dealers deliberately put tires on that look like new, even when they are old and not safe for use. One of the most common source of these old tires are spare tires, which look great even though they have been toted around for years. Drivers end up using these tires without thinking about their age, and these tires are often dangerous and can lead to accidents.

Liability in accidents caused by old tires

In car accidents caused by out-of-date tires, liability can be complex. Federal and State Governments have made efforts to create consumer warnings about the risks of aging tires. However, there is nothing mentioned on the tire or in purchase information that clearly states the risk. It is easy for individuals to claim ignorance of the risk. It is important for the tire manufacturers and car dealers to be aware of the risks, as they may be held liable for car accidents in certain situations.

If you have been injured in an accident that occurred because of an out-of-date tire, you should discuss the case with a top-ratedpersonal injury attorney at Willens Law Offices. Call (312) 957-4166 for a free case evaluation.