Mom Turns Terrible Tragedy into Blog and Book

Diana Hubner, better known to her readers as tire mom, is the surviving spouse of a terrible 2012 accident that took the life of her husband. Hubner writes that treads appeared to be in good condition when their vehicle took the road that fateful day, but one thing she and her husband had not considered was the age of the tires. Hubner later formed Tire Mom, LLC and hopes to educate the public on tire safety and the danger of old tires.

This is something that we have touched on in our blog a couple times. There is currently a push to put expiration dates on tires so that consumers know that they are too old to drive on. However, the tire manufacturers insist that the tires can be driven on so long as there is enough treading guaranteed by warranty. To put it simply, tire companies believe that their tires can last longer than safety groups do.

Ten-Day Cross Country Journey Turns to Tragedy

In a recent interview, Hubner described the incident that changed her life forever. She and her husband were on a ten-day cross-country trip for a family reunion. The tires seemed to be working fine until one of them suffered a catastrophic blowout.

Those who are particularly at risk for this type of accident are those who have vehicles that they don’t use very often. This includes RVs, sports cars, and motorcycles—the types of vehicles that you will find hidden away until the weather clears up. The tread won’t wear down on them and consumers who don’t know any better will think that they’re safe to drive on. Meanwhile, those tires have been getting less elastic, and more subject to breaking, as the years passed. Once the tire’s rubber gets too hard, it is more susceptible to a tread separation or other type of failure. These tire failure events can be especially dangerous at highway speeds.

After six years of dealing with her grief, Hubner decided that she would draw attention to tire safety by going to all 50 states and giving one family a new set of tires. She chronicled her travels in her blog and has since released a book detailing her journey.

Beforehand, however, she learned everything there was to know about tire safety.

Tires Have Born-On Dates But No Expiration Dates

Today, the battle between consumer watchdogs and tire companies involves the question of whether there should be expiration dates on tires. Today, you can find born-on dates if you know where to look. You can find out how old your tires are by looking for “DOT”. The number that comes directly after will have the week and year that your tire was born on. While tire manufacturers insist that tires can last for up to ten years, other experts say that you should replace your tires every six years.

Talk to a Defective Tire Attorney Today

If you’ve suffered serious injury after a catastrophic tire failure, the Coral Gables tire defect attorneys at Halpern, Santos & Pinkert can help you file a lawsuit against the tire’s manufacturer and any other party who has culpability for your injuries. Talk to us today to set up a free consultation.

Resource:

highlandsranchherald.net/stories/tire-moms-new-book-shares-story-of-loss-and-healing,290149

https://www.tiredefectattorney.com/florida-has-rules-when-it-comes-to-tire-safety/