Discount Tire, the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) and NASCAR's Team Penske are continuing their partnership and revving up their work to educate drivers on proper tire care during National Tire Safety Week, May 29 to June 4, 2016.
The group's message is clear: regular tire checks can help prevent blowouts and save drivers money.
To encourage drivers to do their PART in getting tire smart for Memorial Day weekend travel and summer road trips, Discount Tire and the RMA recommend regular tire safety checks of:
Pressure – Measure tire pressure once a month or before a trip using a tire pressure gauge;
Alignment – Misalignment of wheels can cause uneven tread wear;
Rotation – Rotate tires every six thousand miles to prevent irregular tire wear;
Tread – Stick a penny upside-down in a tread groove; time to replace the tires if Lincoln's head is visible.
In a recent survey conducted by the RMA, only 17% of drivers responded they knew how to properly check tire pressure. Discount Tire's 925 neighborhood tire stores, a national advertising campaign and local and national media appearances by Team Penske drivers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano will help spread safety and education messages during National Tire Safety Week.
Reinalt-Thomas Corp, which does business as Discount Tire and America's Tire, regularly provides drivers with free tire safety inspections performed by a trained tire technician. During National Tire Safety Week, Discount Tire dedicates one full service bay at each tire store to free tire pressure checks, ensuring motorists' tires are checked quickly – typically in five minutes or less – and without the need for the driver to ever leave their vehicle.
"Offering free tire safety checks at all Discount Tire stores has always been one of our ways to say 'thank you' to our customers," says Mark Marrufo, vice president of brand marketing for Discount Tire. "Through National Tire Safety Week and our partnership with the RMA and Team Penske, we hope we can encourage drivers to be tire smart as they hit the roads this summer."
Improperly inflated tires are one of the most common causes of car trouble during summer road trips and can lead to decreased steering and braking control, excessive tire wear, blowouts and wasteful fuel consumption. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that each year 1.2 billion gallons of fuel are wasted in the U.S. by vehicles driving on under-inflated tires, and nearly 200 fatalities and 11,000 injuries occur due to improper tire care.
Discount Tire No. 22 NASCAR drivers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano help spread the National Tire Safety Week message in coordination with the RMA's Be Tire Smart campaign, as the featured voices in nationwide radio PSAs that educate motorists about the importance of maintaining proper tire pressure.
During Memorial Day weekend, Discount Tire offers customer savings of up to $320 on new tire and wheel packages through credit and mail-in rebates.
For more information about Discount Tire, the largest tire retailer in the U.S. and thus the top of the Modern Tire Dealer 100, visit www.discounttire.com. For more information on tire safety or National Tire Safety Week, visit www.rma.org.
