Tire Related Violations Issued by State in 2018

Last year DOT officers wrote 175,997 violations for tire related issues. Of those violations over 113,000 came from just ten states. Below are the top 3 tire violations issued in each state. Do you travel in these states regularly? If so, you may want to make sure your tires are up to par. Share some of your tire related stories in the comments below.

1. Texas - 48,639 violations
   • Tire-other tread depth less than 2/32 of inch - 18,630
     
   • Tire-tread and/or sidewall separation - 12,707
   • Tire-flat and/or audible air leak - 8,522
     
2. California -  22,655 violations
   • Tire-flat and/or audible air leak - 7,876
   • Tire-other tread depth less than 2/32 of inch - 7,656
     
   • Tire-ply or belt material exposed - 1,983
     
3. New York -  7,393 violations
   • Tire-flat and/or audible air leak - 2,460
     
   • Tire-other tread depth less than 2/32 of inch - 1,671
     
   • Weight carried exceeds tire load limit - 788
     
4. Missouri -  5,752 violations
   • Tire-flat and/or audible air leak - 2,495
     
   • Tire-other tread depth less than 2/32 of inch - 1,612
     
   • Tire-ply or belt material exposed - 509
     
5. Maryland -  5,671 violations
   • Flat tire or fabric exposed - 1,968
     
   • Tire-other tread depth less than 2/32 of inch - 1,029
     
   • Tire-flat and/or audible air leak - 726
     
6. New Mexico -  4,676 violations
   • Tire-flat and/or audible air leak - 2,721
     
   • Tire-other tread depth less than 2/32 of inch - 614
     
   • Flat tire or fabric exposed - 438
     
7. Georgia -  4,658 violations
   • Tire-other tread depth less than 2/32 of inch - 1,837
     
   • Tire-flat and/or audible air leak - 801
     
   • Tire-ply or belt material exposed - 545
     
8. Florida -  3,940 violations
   • Tire-other tread depth less than 2/32 of inch - 1,663
     
   • Tire-flat and/or audible air leak - 477
     
   • Tire-ply or belt material exposed - 455
     
9. North Carolina -  3,427 violations
   • Flat tire or fabric exposed - 1,113
     
   • Tire-other tread depth less than 2/32 of inch - 873
     
   • Tire-flat and/or audible air leak - 792
     
10. Pennsylvania -  3,188 violations
    • Tire-other tread depth less than 2/32 of inch - 1,193
      
    • Flat tire or fabric exposed - 460
      
    • Tire-flat and/or audible air leak - 346
      

*Data provided by the FMCSA 

Over 69,000 of the violations issued last year were for tread depth.  Over 58,000 were issued for under-inflated or flat tires. The remaining violations were issued for damaged or improperly mounted tires, with a couple of tickets issued for exceeding the speed rating on a tire.

What this tells us is that most of these tickets could have been avoided by using a good tire pressure monitoring system. Knowing your tire pressures will help you directly avoid tickets for under-inflated or flat tires. But it will indirectly help you avoid tickets for tread depth too. Properly inflated tires wear at a predictable rate, letting you schedule tire changes and avoid costly tickets.

Click to learn more about the benefits of proper tire inflation.