A work crew was on its way to a remote jobsite in the early morning hours. The crew cab pickup was traveling downhill when it suddenly left the road. It rolled over several times before coming to a stop hundreds of feet below in the bottom of a canyon. The driver was killed and the two passengers survived.

Three of the truck tires were new radials, but the fourth was an old bias ply tire with no tread remaining. The mismatch and the poor condition of the old tire probably caused the truck to veer off the road, according to the coroner who held an inquest into this fatality.

You may think this has nothing to do with you because these old-style tires are just a distant memory. But are you sure you don’t have an old, worn, mismatched tire waiting to be used as a spare? Check all your tires regularly and have defective ones repaired properly or replaced. Keep the tires properly inflated. Make sure all tires are of the right size and type for the vehicle you use and the kind of driving you do. Check your spare regularly too, making sure it is in good condition, properly inflated and of the correct size and type. And one more point: Always wear your seatbelt and shoulder harness. The two passengers who survived this crash were buckled in but the driver who died was not.