United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2007-02-09 monographic deposited born digital 19 p. GA 1.13:GAO-07-246R https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-246R P0b002ee180393268 f:d07246r DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-246R machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-246R GAO-07-246R Accident prevention Fuel consumption Motor vehicle standards Motor vehicles Statistical data Traffic accidents Transportation legislation Transportation safety Public safety Correspondence A65806 More than a quarter of automobiles and about a third of light trucks (including sport utility vehicles, vans, and pickup trucks) on the roadways of the United States have one or more tires underinflated 8 pounds per square inch (psi) or more below the level recommended by the vehicle manufacturer, according to a report by the Department of Transportation's (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). A decrease in tire pressure can be caused by poor maintenance, driving habits, punctures, road conditions, and the quality of material used in tire construction. According to tire experts, under normal driving conditions, air-filled tires can lose from 1 to 2 psi per month as air permeates through the tires. Vehicles with underinflated tires have had handling problems that caused crashes resulting in fatalities and injuries. In addition, the fuel economy of vehicles driving on underinflated tires is slightly lower. In response to a Congressional request for information on these issues, we addressed the following questions: (1) What is the impact of tire underinflation on safety and fuel economy, and what actions has the federal government taken to promote proper tire inflation? and (2) what technologies are currently available to reduce underinflation and what are their implications for safety and fuel economy? https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-246R/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-246R.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-246R/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-246R.pdf GAO-07-246R https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-246R Correspondence GAO-07-246R; Underinflated Tires in the United States; Accident prevention Fuel consumption Motor vehicle standards Motor vehicles Statistical data Traffic accidents Transportation legislation Transportation safety Public safety Volume 114 Page 1800 114 Stat. 1800