Colorado drivers urged to check tires before heading out for Fourth of July

As the day before the Fourth of July is marked as the busiest day on the roads, drivers should ask themselves one big question before the big road trip; have you checked your tires today?

Discount Tire in Parker tells CBS Colorado you should always check them, especially with the millions of people expected to travel over the next few days. Store Manager for Discount Tire Zach Lacy met with Your First Alert Traffic Tracker Reporter Brian Sherrod to discuss how drivers can check their tires. Lacy says drivers can either use a tire gauge or use the old penny trick. Take a penny and put it upside down in the tire. If you can see Lincoln's head, you are low on tread depth.

Lacy tells CBS Colorado to make sure your tires are balanced and aligned correctly. A rotation for your tires should be done every 6,000 miles. Also, check the tire age and never overuse a spare tire. Lacy tells CBS Colorado donut tires are known as set-it-and-forget-it tires. If you don't check your tires periodically, you could cause harm to yourself and others on the road.

"Loss of control is a big one," Lacy said. "That's the last thing you want to happen is for you to lose control on the road. For those of us who have been through that, it's not fun. Your hands are tied, and you don't have any way to manipulate how the vehicle is going to go. The worst-case scenario is obviously a wreck. We don't want that to happen."

Lacy says to make sure if your pressure light comes on, you pull over and check your tires right away. Discount Tire says they offer free tire checks daily.