The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) wants consumers to know that deflate-gate is not just an issue for the NFL. In a recent blog post, the agency compared the over information surrounding the coverage of underinflated footballs to the lack of knowledge concerning tire inflation.
“Every football junkie now knows (and neither knew nor cared to know before January 19) that footballs should be inflated to between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch, and that a crew of officials is charged with inspecting each football before a game to ensure that they are properly inflated,” wrote the agency.
Continued the NTSB, “Planning a party for hardcore fans? Ask them what the NFL found out about the footballs in deflate-gate. They’ll probably tell you without missing a beat that 11 of 12 balls tested were underinflated by two pounds per square inch.”
“Then ask them when they last checked the pressure of the tires on their vehicles,” wrote NTSB.
The NTSB cited NHTSA statistics stating that drivers in the U.S. put more than 2.9 billion miles on their tires annually. According to the administration, there are nearly 11,000 tire-related crashes that claim nearly 200 lives each year.
“Many of these crashes can be prevented through proper tire maintenance, which, you guessed it, includes proper tire inflation,” said the NTSB.