"If Mama isn't. Happy, nobodies happy."

Yep, that's why I make sure my wifes car is in tip-top shape.

Gravy, I know what yo mean. The low pressure on my 2004 Expidition would come on every time it when below 40 degrees. It scared my wife. I needed new tires, so I bought some new Bridgestones and had them Nitrogen filled. End of problem. I also hard the sensors replaced. If Mama isn't. Happy, nobodies happy.

Before too many more judgments are thrown out there, please be aware that the parents of these kids were not the ones driving. The parents are actually in fact one of the most loving parents that I know and are most certainly not neglectful. Please know the facts before you post judgments.

"Actually many of the truck treads on the highway are from new not recapped tires. I think a mid-western university did a study of tire debris and found that most were not recaps."

Spot on there Frosty. I read about that too. They are actually putting super wide drive radials into use that take up the width of two tandem tires. I was afraid that this would be an issue since there would not be a tire right next to it to take up the load when one went flat but the studies show that the super wide drive radials are just as safe as using tandem tires.

"Tire pressure monitors are one of the best safety inventions of late. All vehicles sold in the US since 2008 must be equipped with low tire pressure warning system. We don't yet know the cause of this accident, but if low tire pressure caused a blowout, then sidewall damage will be visible on inside of the tires sidewall."

Indeed, inspection of the tire will show if low pressure caused the tire failure.

Tire sensors are a great addition, but the government failed to implement standardized requirements like the OBDII diagnostics. Each manufacturer uses a different brand/style/data collection method. Some use an actual sensor, some use ABS algorithms to determine rolling circumference of the tire to say one is low. It really should have been standardized to help the consumer and the repair facilities.

The only problem with the sensors is they tend to go off when the first cold snap happens and the air in your tires contracts. They are very senstive to even a little loss.

Don't know if speed was a fact or not in this but this world has gotten in one big dang hurry. My almost 30 years of experience of driving a lot of people just don't understand speed kills. it lessens the reaction time by so many every MPH you go. If you drive the speed limt or I try to go about 5 miles over and these not so smart drivers are riding on you bumper or swerving in front of you ike you did something to them. Most driver's speed is not slowng down it seems but getting faster. The speed limit is set for saftey reasons not to hinder you as a driver.

"Thanks for explaining that, GravyPig. Most people have *no* idea how much is riding on their tires, and how a little bit of care and attention can go a long way towards making us all safer. I'm in the habit of checking all of my tires weekly. Probably seems excessive to most people, but after over a million miles of driving my my 23+ year driving career, I've yet to have any sort of blowout."

My friends once asked me about tires and I started going into the details. After talking for 5 to 10 minutes I noticed that they were all sort of slack jawed and looking at me funny. They were shocked at how much there was to know about tires.

You can never really go overboard on safety. Well, you can but it's better than not taking it seriously.

@ kimisufu - I couldn't agree more. The child restraint clearly works better, when attached to the latch system. Less chance of ejection, in my opinion. Maybe not 100% foolproof, but better choice, in my opinion again, than a booster. I don't frown on boosters, it's all a preference. All seats are tested by the NHTSA and rated accordingly. And any child restraint is better than none. I have a 6 yr old who weighs 48 lbs. I STILL keep her in a 5-pt harness because it is the safest way for kiddos to travel. Her carseat goes to 80lbs in the 5pt and she knows it's for safety. "mommy wants to keep her as safe as she can, within her control, so 5pt it is". And she's perfectly ok with it. Praying for that family and what they have, and will continue to endure.

Instead of making assumptions why dont we say a prayer for this family who just lost a child. Either way this woman will have to live with this for the rest of her life. People are so cynical and assumption filled instead of being sympathetic.

Actually many of the truck treads on the highway are from new not recapped tires. I think a mid-western university did a study of tire debris and found that most were not recaps. If a truck tire is run flat it will often have the tread detach from the sidewalls when they finally come apart. And if it is a dual wheel tire set up the good tire can be overloaded and it is the sidewalls that blow. I have had a new front tire come apart for no apparent reason and I keep a close check on the tire pressures on the truck. And there was no puncture of the tread.

School bus tires may be recaps, but they are very good recaps and are not loaded near to their weight or speed limits on the buses.

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