All was good until, to my left, I heard a loud pop. I didn’t know what it was, but by the Grace of God instinctively knew that I was in trouble and needed to get away in a hurry. I floored the accelerator and veered towards the right hand shoulder. When I had a chance to look to my left, I saw an SUV with a blown tire swaying wildly, and now perpendicular to the highway, headed straight for me. I gunned the accelerator harder and managed to barely escape as the SUV narrowly missing my rear bumper swerved into the small grassy lane bordering the highway. I watched in the rear view mirror as the SUV rocked so violently that I thought it would topple over. Eventually, after what seemed like a long time, operating as I was in enhanced, slow motion time, the vehicle stood motionless. The four or so other drivers in the vicinity, now parked in the shoulder, all sat momentarily motionless too, as we took a minute to catch our breath before descending on the SUV to ensure the driver was unharmed and to inquire as to what happened. (Fortunately, my husband was safely ahead of me and there to comfort me as I tried to remember how to breathe.)

The SUV driver was uninjured, though rattled, as were we all (it was a full twenty minutes before I stopped shaking and overcame the onset of an asthma attack). When we asked how her tire blew, she could not explain: they were brand-new and had just been installed. Until today, I could not understand how a new tire could blow.

A loyal reader in Baltimore sent this 20/20 video about tire safety. It provides one more reason why I want to live in a world free from the automobile industry that as a whole seems to be as conscienceless and anti-consumer as they can get, with decades of history fighting regulations to protect the very people who keep them afloat. It’s also yet another reason to not trust Sears. It’s almost not fair, they’re such an easy target for these sensational news shows. I have a long standing vendetta against them regarding car service never rendered, and don’t even get me started about their “Die-Hard” battery. Dirty snakes.

Out of curiosity, I called two stores to find out their policy in terms of letting consumers choose tires. Tire Rack said that they get tires directly from the manufacturer, so are not able to disclose the date the tire was manufactured prior to shipping. However, Tire Rack can provide this detail to the purchaser after the tire has shipped, and, if not acceptable, the consumer can refuse to accept the shipment. Discount Tire has the tires in the store and told me that I would be free to choose each of my tires. (Sorry there aren’t any stores in Maryland, but I’m sure there are other honest tire dealers.)

The last time I replaced my tires was September 11, 2001. (For some reason that date sticks in my head.) I’m about due for new tires, so when I get them, I’ll let you know if someone tries to scam me. I doubt that I’ll have a bad experience, but at the same time knowledge is empowering, and it’s nice to be an informed and confident consumer.

Before you buy tires, I also recommend consulting Consumer Reports:

Stay safe dear reader!