Editorial: Time to Tread Even More Carefully?

Are your technicians meticulously checking tread depth levels on customers’ tires as soon as their vehicles roll onto your lot? I hope so. Tread depth checks can mean the difference between life and death. Alex Bebiak knows this all too well.

On Feb. 10, 2023, his son, Jackson, died after the car he was riding in hydroplaned and collided with an 18-wheeler. Jackson, who was wearing a seat belt, was 19 years old. The cause of the accident? Excessively worn tires.

In response, the Bebiak family established the Road Ready Foundation, whose mission is to “save lives on our roadways through crash prevention by educating young and inexperienced drivers on tire safety and roadside safety education.”

They aren’t stopping there. Alex Bebiak and Jamie Ward, CEO of Cincinnati, Ohio-based Tire Discounters Inc., recently formed the Safe Tread Alliance (STA), a non-profit that “brings together a powerhouse team of industry experts dedicated to addressing tread awareness and advancing tire safety education.”

STA is advocating for the modernization of tire safety standards and the elimination of outdated tread depth check practices. (The group held its first board meeting in Las Vegas, Nev., before the start of the 2025 SEMA Show. I was there.)

“Every year, thousands of crashes across the U.S. are linked to worn or unsafe tires,” said STA officials. “Between 2019 and 2023, the Fatality Analysis Reporting System documented 2,740 fatal crashes and 3,136 deaths involving tire-related factors. The Safe Tread Alliance believes these tragedies can be prevented through stronger tread standards, better consumer education and a renewed focus on proactive maintenance.”

STA is proposing that consumers replace the old “Lincoln penny test” with a tread depth check using quarters. "For decades, drivers have been told to use the penny test o judge  tire safety, placing a penny in the tread and assuming the tire is safe if Lincoln’s head is partially covered. However, research shows that by the time a tire reaches the penny’s benchmark of 2/32 of an inch, its stopping distance, traction and ability to resist hydroplaning are already dangerously compromised.”

Instead, STA is calling for widespread adoption of the “quarter test, a simple, accessible method for determining when tires are no longer safe. When a quarter is placed into the tire’s tread with (George) Washington’s head down, if the top of his head is visible,
the tread depth is at or below 4/32 of an inch — the point where performance and wet-weather safety begin to drop significantly.

"Independent testing has shown that vehicles with tires worn to 2/32-inch can take up to 87 feet longer to stop in wet conditions than those with 4/32-inch tread,” according to STA officials.

"Unsafe tires shouldn’t be a matter of opinion or luck,” said Bebiak. “We have the data, the technology and the responsibility to act. The quarter test is more than a tool. It’s a movement towards a new standard to save lives.”

That covers the consumer component. But what can you, as tire dealer, do?

It may sound basic, but make sure that tire pressure checks are performed every time, all the time, without exception, on every vehicle that arrives at your dealership.

Make sure each person who works at your dealership knows how to conduct a proper tread depth check.

Use appropriate tools when checking tread depth, whether it’s a mobile phone app, a scanner or an old-fashioned tread depth gauge. (The dealer who sold a new set of tires to me a few years ago scanned the tread depth of our old tires and showed me the results almost instantly, making the tire replacement decision a "no-brainer.”)

Set a policy and stick to it. Removal at 4/32-inch? Removal at 2/32-inch? Consistency is critical. 

Also make sure that you clearly communicate your dealership’s policy to both employees and customers. Customers should understand that you’re doing it for their safety.

Finally, consider supporting the STA and its efforts. Visit www.safetread.org for more information. We’ll revisit the topic of tread depth checks in an upcoming edition of MTD.

Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected].