Although there are plenty of fathers who drive their children to school in the morning, the majority of people on the school run you will see in Australia these days are women. Of course, driving relatively short distances in your car to drop the kids off at school will often mean that you do not take proper care of your tyres. Unless you go on to drive longer distances during the day, whether you are a man or a woman, it is likely that you never give your car tyres a second thought. However failing to maintain them properly can mean that you are driving in an unsafe manner, something which is especially important to address when you have young children as your passengers. What measures should you be taking to make sure your car tyres are in good condition and that your car is safe and roadworthy? 

Tyre Inflation

People who only drive short distance is every day tend to forget about the importance of pumping the tyres up. If you allow yours to gradually deflate, then over time, you will find that your traction on the road is not as good as it should be. The trouble is that this phenomenon is that it is hardly noticeable because it is something that gets only slowly worse. Ensure that your tyres are pumped up to the correct setting and avoid over-inflating them, too. This can be just as bad for premature tyre wear as under-inflation. 

Sidewall Damage

If there are bulges or gouges on the sides of your tyres, then this is a sure sign that ultraviolet light has been degrading the rubber compound that they are made from. This is something that happens regularly in Australia where the sun is obviously very strong. You should exchange any tyres with bulges at your local tyre shop immediately to prevent a potentially serious accident from occurring if one were to burst.

Tyre Tread

Maintaining the correct level of tyre tread is another crucial aspect of tyre maintenance. If the tread has worn down beyond a certain level, then you will simply not be able to break as effectively as you might need to. This could mean smashing into an otherwise avoidable hazard, something that would be unforgivable when you are on the school run. You can buy gauges these days which check the tread depth of your car's tyres for you. However, if you do not have one of these, then ask an operative at your local tyre dealership to check your tread for you. Most will be only too pleased to assist you and establish whether you need new tyres or not.