CINCINNATI (Paula Toti) -- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said there were 11,000 tire related crashes every year in the country. Even so, there's no law that says people can't be sold an unsafe or rotting tire. Tires don't even have legal expiration dates. There is information people should know about buying or maintaining tires that no one is required to tell them. When the rubber hits the road tires start to break down but the same happens when tires are just sitting in the sun or on a shelf. Most people don't know how long tires should last. Driver Brittany Summers said, "I think the year is five ... right? To at least get them checked. She knows tires; five to six years is a general guideline. Brittany learned the hard way that tires can quickly go bad. It happens even when they've done more sitting than driving. She started to hear a helicopter sound over and over again when one of her old tires had a tube that bulged while she was driving. She said it wasn't a blowout but it was close and gave her a scare. Some manufacturers tell drivers to replace tires six years after their production date regardless of tread wear. Yet many people actually buy used tires older than that. Local 12 News quickly found a used tire produced in 2006 that we showed a mechanic. While the government doesn't require an expiration date on tires, there is a four digit production code that is required. It's the week and year a tire was made. Local 12 took two used tires to an expert on cars and tires. He found one was made in the 18th week of 2006, a 9-year-old tire. Right away Sam Walker at Bavarian Motors saw age took its toll on the older tire despite lots of tread left. He saw the tire was dry rotting. Sam also said he wouldn't take the tire on a long road trip. Yet no one warned Local 12 News staffer Brian Batiuk when he bought our tires at two different places. He said there was no guidance or talk about safety. If people drive an average amount of 12 to 15 thousand miles a year they will probably lose tread before the rubber goes bad. However, if they're an occasional driver, think of the tire like an old rubber band that may be about to break. When it comes to a spare tire, consider it a tire in service. It's basically baking in the sun. Bad tires also affect performance. After the crash that killed Fast and Furious actor Paul Walker, police listed two 9-year-old tires as contributing factors because they could have affected handling, especially at his high rate of speed. In Ohio if a defect in a persons tire causes a crash, don't assume the person won't be held responsible. Attorney Chris Buyers, at Gregory S. Young and Associates said, They may come after you. Buyers said buying a used tire is risky business for a number of reasons, You don't know its prior life, how the tire was used, over loaded, over inflated, underinflated, if someone has bad driving habits. Those are all things Sam agrees affect wear. When Local 12 asked him to look at the two tires bought, the one that looked newer for 0 was the one rotting. The one all dirty for 0 was almost like new, even though it looked old, according to Sam. The newer tire was made in the fall of 2011. Brittany said after what happened to her, even with student loans to pay, her tires won't be a place to compromise. Finally, keep in mind even when people buy new tires they might want to check the four digit code for the production date. It's still possible they've been sitting in the store a year or two. Follow Paula Toti on Twitter @paulatoti, and LIKE her on Facebook.Follow us on Twitter @Local12 and LIKE us on Facebook for updates!

• published: 19 May 2015
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