About 15 per cent of tires inspected during National Tire Safety Week were found to have tread depth below the recommended safety threshold, according to new data released by Anyline.
The findings are based on tire inspections conducted between June 29 and July 5 through Anyline’s TireBuddy platform by professional users across the United States. The company said the results highlight ongoing concerns about tire condition and road safety.
According to the data, roughly one in seven inspected tires measured below 3/32 of an inch of tread depth, a level at which wet-weather braking performance and resistance to hydroplaning can be significantly reduced.
Anyline noted the findings may actually understate the problem. Drivers who actively seek tire inspections tend to be more safety conscious than the general population, suggesting the percentage of vehicles operating with worn tires could be higher across the broader driving public.
The company also pointed to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data showing approximately 11,000 tire-related crashes occur annually in the U.S. Many of those incidents involve tires that showed no obvious external signs of failure before the crash.
National Tire Safety Week is intended to raise awareness about tire maintenance and encourage drivers to regularly check tread depth and inflation pressure. Because tread wear occurs gradually, many motorists may not recognize when their tires have reached unsafe levels.
As part of the awareness campaign, Giti Tire partnered with Anyline to host a free tire inspection event at Giti’s North American headquarters in Charlotte, N.C., on July 2. Drivers attending the event received AI-powered tread depth measurements through the TireBuddy app, along with tire pressure checks and a digital report outlining the results.
“We believe tire maintenance education is most effective when it’s personal,” said William Estupinan, vice-president of technical service at Giti Tire. “Providing drivers with a tread scan and air pressure reading for their own tires brings tire maintenance messages to life in a way that’s meaningful and actionable.”
Christoph Braunsberger, chief executive officer of Anyline, said tire inspections remain one of the most important but often overlooked aspects of vehicle safety.
“Road safety is built from small, routine decisions, and few are overlooked as tire condition,” Braunsberger said. “National Tire Safety Week brings that risk into focus and reminds drivers how much a simple check can reveal.”
