Consumers More Likely to Have Clean Car Than Correct Tire Pressure; Tire Industry's National Tire Safety Week Seeks Emphasis on Proper Maintenance

    WASHINGTON--April 28, 2003--U.S. drivers are more likely to wash their cars than correctly check tire pressure, according to a national survey released today by the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA), which represents tire manufacturers.
    The survey found that three out of four American drivers wash their vehicle at least once a month, while only one in seven correctly checks tire pressure.
    "We think it's more important to have a safe car than a clean car," said Donald B. Shea, RMA president and CEO. "Our research clearly shows that motorists need information about proper tire care."
    The survey was released during National Tire Safety Week, an initiative of RMA's "Be Tire Smart - Play Your PART" program, which is designed to educate motorists about proper tire care. PART stands for Pressure, Alignment, Rotation and Tread, the four key elements of tire maintenance.

    RMA's survey, conducted nationwide in February, also found:
    -- Motorists rank tires as the second-most important safety
    feature in vehicles after brakes.
    -- Only 14 percent of drivers properly check their tire inflation
    pressure. Properly checking tires means checking at least once
    a month before tires have been driven even a mile and
    inflating them to the vehicle manufacturer's recommended
    pressure, not the pressure listed on the tire sidewall.
    -- 45 percent of drivers wrongly believe that if they are taking
    a trip with a fully loaded vehicle that they are better off if
    their tires are a little bit underinflated.
    -- Nearly 7 out of 10 drivers don't know how to tell if their
    tires are bald.
    -- 71 percent of drivers do not check their tire pressure in
    their spare tire.
    -- Almost half of drivers, 49 percent -- named a tire industry
    source as the most trustworthy to provide the right
    information about proper tire care.

    Other research conducted in recent years by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and AAA, is alarming. NHTSA found that one-fourth of passenger cars and one-third of light trucks/SUVs have at least one significantly underinflated tire.
    In 2002, AAA reported that member calls for emergency road service involving flat tires increased to more than 3,552,647; or 12.5 percent of total road service calls answered by AAA.
    "Making sure tires are properly inflated is one of the easiest and most important maintenance procedures consumers can do for themselves," said John Nielsen, director of AAA's Approved Auto Repair Network. "By acquiring the habit of checking tire pressure each month, motorists can improve road safety for themselves, their passengers and other motorists."
    AAA provides tire care advice through club publications that reach 46 million members in the United States and Canada and online at www.aaa.com. A free tire safety brochure is also available to members and the public.
    More than 7,500 AAA-approved repair facilities -- including independent shops, car dealerships and tire retailers -- provide free maintenance and safety inspections of AAA members' vehicles when other work is performed. These inspections include a check for tire wear and inflation.
    A number of tire retailers have partnered with RMA to promote tire safety including: Big 10 Tires, Big O Tires, Discount Tire Co., Firestone Tire & Auto Centers, Goodyear Auto Centers, Les Schwab, Merchant's Tire, National Tire and Battery (NTB), Peerless Tyres, Pep Boys, Sears Automotive Centers, Sullivan Tires, STS Tires, Tire Kingdom, Towne Fair Tires and hundreds of other independent tire dealers.
    The companies are distributing RMA's educational brochure on proper tire care and maintenance and some are hosting events to teach motorists about tire care. This year, more than two million RMA tire safety brochures have been distributed to more than 4,000 retail stores.
    RMA and its members also have conducted government outreach to promote tire safety. RMA materials have been distributed to every member of the U.S. House and Senate. State highway safety agencies from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Wisconsin will offer RMA's tire safety materials.
    Ohio and Georgia governors will issue statewide tire safety proclamations, and California Assemblyman Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) introduced a resolution to declare this week "California Tire Safety Week." Also, California Senator Liz Figueroa (D-Fremont) has recorded tire safety public service announcements in English and Spanish.
    RMA is hosting tire safety events from coast to coast this week starting tomorrow in Washington, D.C., at the Sears Auto Center at Landmark Mall in Alexandria, Virginia. Wednesday, RMA travels to Denver, Colorado, to a Big O Tires store, then on to Sacramento, California, on Thursday at a Goodyear Auto Service Center.
    Each event invites motorists for a free tire inflation pressure and tread wear check.
    RMA conducted tire safety events earlier this year in Palm Springs; San Diego, and San Francisco, California; Seattle, Washington; and Portland, Oregon. RMA partnered with Les Schwab Tire Center in the Seattle and Portland; Firestone Tire & Service Center in San Francisco, and Discount Tire Co. in both San Diego and Palm Springs, California.
    More information about the "Be Tire Smart - Play Your PART" program and National Tire Safety Week can be found at www.rma.org.
    Founded in 1915, the Rubber Manufacturers Association is the national trade association of the rubber products industry. Its membership includes more than 100 member companies that manufacture tires and other rubber products.