Tire Tread Defects Lead to Catastrophic Accidents on Nation's Roads

Truck accidents account for over 20 billion dollars a year in damages, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Trucks, especially semi tractor-trailers are complex machines made up many systems that must all work correctly at the same time to avoid breakdowns, accidents and tire blowouts or tire tread separations.

Defective tires can cause catastrophic truck and car accidents as they happen suddenly, and drivers are often unable to maintain control of a vehicle whose tires have blown. When the tire blowout occurs to a rear tire, controlling the vehicle becomes very difficult, especially driving at speeds common to most highways. The loss of control often results in the rear of the vehicle swinging around to become perpendicular to the direction of travel. The resulting tire failure is exacerbated by the high center-of-gravity vehicle design found in vans, light trucks and SUV's.

Over the last several years, there have been multiple large-scale tire recalls. Despite the numerous recalls, defective tires continue to cause devastating accidents and fatal crashes. Many consumer safety groups are pushing for an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) into the effectiveness of the consumer replacement programs put in place in 2000 and 2001 by several major tire manufacturers. Manufacturers including Goodyear, Dunlop, Bridgestone/Firestone, Cooper and Uniroyal have issued recalls to reimburse for or to replace specific models of tires that have a tendency to crack and split. The cracking and splitting cause the tire belts to separate from the casing.

Manufacturers are legally responsible for notifying consumers of tire defects in the hopes of preventing crashes, serious injuries and deaths. However, many of the large manufacturers continue to make, market and sell tires they know are defective.

Tread failures begin as small cracks on the side of the tire where the serial number is found; these tread failures are a result of design and manufacturing defects. Small cracks, which are virtually invisible to the naked eye soon give way to larger cracks that develop between the tire's belts and cause premature tire fatigue and tread failure.

The fatigue life of a tire should exceed its tread life in well-made tires. The tread life is the length of time it normally takes to wear down tire treads. However, design and manufacturing defects cause substantially shorter fatigue life and can lead to devastating accidents resulting in injuries and death.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a truck accident caused by a defective tire in Jacksonville or anywhere in Florida, please visit the website of the experienced Truck Accident Attorneys at Hardesty Tyde Green & Ashton, P.A.

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