A survey of more than 7,000 vehicles conducted by tire dealers and the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) found that more than 11 percent had at least one bald tire. Nearly 65 percent of the responding car owners did not know how to check tread depth, and 9 percent haven’t even attempted the task.

“In this bad economy, drivers may be delaying necessary vehicle maintenance to save costs," says Charles Cannon, the RMA’s president and CEO. “But that delay may cost you more dearly if worn out tires lead to a crash with injuries or fatalities. Bald tires are dangerous because they cannot grip the road properly, they increase stopping distances and can contribute to skidding or loss of vehicle control.”

The RMA information was collected by several tire retailers participating in the association’s “Be Tire Smart – Play Your PART” tire maintenance education program.

A similar survey of more than 5,400 vehicles’ tire pressure conducted by the RMA earlier in 2009 found that only 9 percent had four properly inflated tires, and half of them had at least one under inflated tire.

The pressure should be checked every month and before long trips.

For more information, visit www.rma.org.