Living in a state with safety inspections means that you always need to ensure that your vehicle is safe to operate on public roads. If your state's assessment includes a tire check, then there are several factors that you'll need to consider when checking your tires. Instead of waiting for an inspection to uncover problems, it's always best to review your tires yourself and remedy issues.

Even if there's still time before your inspection is due, it's never too early to review the condition of your tires for defects that may affect their safety. This article will describe three tire problems that may cause you to fail your safety inspection, and why you should never ignore them.

1. Poor Tread Condition

Many drivers think that old, worn-out tread will cause their tires to fail catastrophically. While tire wear can increase the chance that a tire will fail, poor tread condition poses more immediate hazards. Road tires use their tread pattern to direct water and snow away from the tire, increasing grip in inclement weather conditions.

One of the greatest dangers of driving on tires with too little tread is that they can provide a false sense of confidence. These tires may grip well on dry roads, and then suddenly lose traction when conditions turn wet. Check your tire's tread depth using the penny test to confirm that they are safe to drive on in all weather conditions.  

2. Bubbling Sidewalls

Bubbles on your sidewalls are a guaranteed way to fail any safety inspection. Unfortunately, a failed inspection is far from the most significant reason to worry when you spot this particular defect. Bubbles on your sidewalls develop when the internal integrity of a tire has been compromised, usually after hitting a pothole.

The sidewall is the most crucial component to the overall structural integrity of your tires. You must replace any bubbled tire immediately, as these tires are no longer safe to drive on and may fail suddenly.

3. Age and Rubber Condition

Finally, be sure to check for large and apparent cracks on the tire. When inspecting your tire, look for issues on both the sidewall and the tread. Cracks usually develop in tires as they age, but you only need to be concerned about relatively large breaks in the rubber. If you need to stick your face close to the tire to see evidence of cracking, then it's likely not a severe enough problem to fail your inspection.

Be sure to keep the age of your tires in mind when performing this check. Tires begin to degrade after about six years, so cracks that appear in older tires may be a sign that your car's shoes are reaching the end of their lifespan. The problem may not be critical yet, but you should still consider replacing the tires as soon as possible.