I have partnered with Life of Dad and Michelin for this promotion. Â I have received compensation for my participation, but my first car memories are my own.
Mustangs, in my family, were a big deal. My grandfather had them the whole time I was growing up. When I was kid, one birthday, he gave me an Owner’s Manual for a 1966 Mustang. You’re getting the picture!
So, when I was of driving age I decided I was going to save up and buy my own Mustang. I heard the business from many friends and many girls, about the fact that I didn’t have a car. I think most of them were just mad that I had bummed rides from them for a couple of years. I saved and saved and saved… and then I saved some more.
Finally, I had enough money to buy my dream car!
A white 1992 Mustang with grey interior and all the bells and whistles that the year 1992 could grant you. I LOVED that car! It was a point of pride with me. Not only was it beautiful, but I had worked hard and achieved a major goal in my life.
It was my first car moment!
As you can imagine, I went through a lot of sets of tires on that car. Tires are still important to me. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what kind of car you drive. Whether it is brand new or a 1992 Mustang. What matters most is that your tires are safe.
Summer is a critical time to remember the importance of tire safety. The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is often referred to as the 100 deadliest days for teen drivers, based on accident data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and National Safety Council. The cold, hard reality is that automobile accidents are the number one killer of teens in America. They account for a shocking five thousand deaths annually. In addition, they have found out that 12% of the 2.2 million accidents that occur each year with inexperienced drivers are due to tire-related issues (26% are attributed to low tread depth; 32% are attributed to improper tire pressure). Driving on underinflated tires or tires with low tread can lead to accidents on the road.
The good news is that accidents due to improper tire maintenance are preventable, and simple steps can save lives.
Checking your tire pressure with a pressure gauge monthly and learning and teaching the proper way to check tread depth are two easy tasks that can help you correctly maintain your tires, the tires of your loved ones and contribute to overall vehicle safety.
As a tire manufacturer focused on road safety for over 125 years, Michelin feels they have an obligation to raise awareness about this issue, and that we all can play a role in reducing the roughly 264,000 crashes with inexperienced drivers that occur annually due to tire-related issues.
Educate yourself and the people that you love about tire safety and we’ll all have a fun and safe summer!