Twenty-seven percent of passenger cars in the United States are driven with one or more substantially underinflated tires, according to a report released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today.
NHTSA says 32% of light trucks -- including SUVs, pickup trucks and vans -- are driven with one or more substantially underinflated tires.
Other findings include:
* 6% of light trucks are driven with all four tires underinflated by eight or more psi vs. 3% of passenger cars;
* 10% of light trucks are driven with three or more tires underinflated by eight or more psi vs. 6% of passenger cars;
* 20% of light trucks have two or more tires underinflated by eight or more psi vs. 13% of passenger cars.
NHTSA also reports that older vehicles are more likely to operate with underinflated tires than new ones.
The agency bases its results on data obtained by measuring tire inflation pressures on more than 11,500 vehicles at 300 urban, suburban and rural service stations during a 14-day period last February.
