Auto Shops Work to Keep Up Ahead of Winter Storm

BOUNTIFUL, Utah – At Jay’s Auto Pros, mechanics were working full-speed to stay on top of demand Thursday.

“Every year, this time of the year it brings a lot of people in,” owner Jay Jenkins said. “If the snow hit’s just right, it’s awesome for all of us in the tire business.”

But as Jenkins points out, what’s good for his business is also good for safety.

“Especially if you have kids in vehicles on the road, it’s the most important thing you can do,” Jenkins said.

Unfortunately, since the state of Utah dropped mandatory safety inspections, Jenkins says people seem to be neglecting those maintenance issues that can help prevent an accident.

“We really are starting to see people just push things farther,” Jenkins said. (They) push their brakes farther, push their tires farther, you know they’re more careless.”

According to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, as many as 11,000 accidents are caused each year by failing tires. That number does not account for tires that are bald or have low air pressure.

While many customers, Thursday were getting winter tires put on their vehicles, Jenkins says that much may not be necessary.

“Some of the all season tires actually have ratings for mud and snow,” Jenkins said. “They’ll be fine, as long as they have good tread.”

Unfortunately, Jenkins believes many accidents he sees could have easily been avoided with a little extra care.

“When I watch the news, and I see a vehicle upside down, like in an accident, I always zoom in and I look at the tires,” Jenkins said. “A lot of times I’m not kidding like more than 50 percent of the time, you can zoom in and see they have bad tires, and that’s clearly the reason the truck’s upside down in the ditch you know?”