Top 3 overlooked deadly factors that may get you killed on the road

3 overlooked factors with cars and motorcycles that can end in a fatality for even good drivers and riders. Casey Putsch shares first hand stories in this honest video made to open the eyes of drivers and riders for a safer future. Instagram @caseyputsch

"Just Ask Casey” episodes are for entertainment purposes only and are not meant as or to take the place of professional guidance, counseling, or education.

[cppctek]

Expecting other drivers to do dumb things is the thing that’s saved my life many times. I always expect people to come into my lane or run red lights so I always give people extra time and room

[JonathanCastillo-wgyk]

Heard this in the Army somewhere: Things that are worth spending money on are things that come between me and the ground: Good boots, a good bed, and a good set of tires.

[gabeitches]

My gf's driving school told her to expect everyone to drive safely. I think that's sad.

[drzflyest]

Honestly as a "car guy" im appalled at how many regular people cheap out on tires. I mean its the ONLY part of the car that touches the road and this is where you wanna pinch pennies... smh meanwhile i get excited to spend on tires because they are probably the best bang for buck in changing a cars handling characteristics

[sporkybutterz]

Most people on the road should not be behind the wheel. Also, money cannot buy skill. Definitely agree on drive within your limits which applies to motorcycles.

[franknowakowski]

I was a State Hwy cop for 32 years ...WHAT will KILL you? Fail to wear a seat belt. Drive while drugged or drunk. Inattentive driving, meaning DROP the cellphone. Driving over your skill level, especially in an inappropriate area, meaning traffic, poor roadway conditions, bad weather, etc.
Left turning driver, who turn in front of You!

[gstorhof]

I was in an accident once that should have been much much worse. I was merging onto the interstate while a semi was driving in the left lane. As soon as I merged from the on-ramp to the right lane, I hit a sheet of ice and the rear end of my truck fishtailed out into the left lane, immediately in front of that semi. The semi hit the back passenger side of my pickup and put me into a spin. I remember facing the wrong way on the interstate with traffic coming straight at us. I spun in a complete 360, was able to regain control and pulled over to the shoulder. I was fine, my wife was fine, the truck driver was fine, and the semi was fine. The front bumper of the semi hit the back passenger tire of my truck and bent the rim. That was the only damage. I feel pretty lucky.

[ryurc]

I failed so many cars for tires doing state saftey inspectons at a shop. Most people don't care. If their tires are black and round they must be good. But I have to drive with these idiots. So I failed every car I could for dry rotted, age wear. They always were mad. but I didn't care. At least they wouldn't slide into my car in the rain when my son is riding with me.

[stefanopellegrino]

Casey: tires are the most important things on a car
Also Casey: takes a knife to his tire

[markchip]

I remember my advanced motorcycling instructor's opening words on the course (5 of us) were, "you will assume that every other person on the road is intent on killing you by surprise". He wasn't wrong!

[aaroncone]

You are absolutely correct! Outdated tires are dangerous. BTW, Maine DOT has been studying guard rail safety for about 15yrs now, & has found that cable guards are deadly, & are being replaced by full steel rails. Be safe!

[rwdplz]

Road construction in general needs to be looked into, not just terrible road and barrier design. The industry needs a complete reboot.

[SirSquatchMan]

Not only do you have a lot of people driving beyond their skill level with cars they shouldn’t be in; but on the same road, you have half the drivers on their phones not paying attention. It’s getting more and more dangerous to drive.

[urgetodrive]

Back in 2011, I owned an '86 Testarossa - the one with the flying mirror (Freeze...Miami Vice!). It was so cherry, it still had the original tires on it...probably even had some Italian air in them. Well, I knew better and it didn't take long before I had installed a set of modern gummies on there. 

About a year later, I sold the car to a guy named Roger Rodas. Ever heard of Roger? He was the poor soul driving the Carrera GT with Paul Walker in the passenger seat on that fateful day a few years back - RIP to both. 

Strip away all the BS you heard in the news and court cases and the reality is that CGT had ~9 year old rubber on it. Those tires might as well have been giant hockey pucks because that's about how much grip they were producing. 

Both of them were bonafide car guys and accomplished, licensed competitive drivers. BUT ... all the knowledge and skill in the world won't save your ass when you disobey the laws of physics. 

Use fresh rubber, those tiny contact patches are the only things connecting you to the road.

[manfromnantucket]

The tires on my gf's Yaris are made of granite. Car makes laughable torque, but you can spin it in the first three gears easy. I think I'll show her this video.

[milorad]

I've been behind the wheel since 12 and trucking actively for 10 years and Casey just proves my point. Speed doesn't kill, stupidity does. Both my cars and a truck are drivers ability focused vehicles. Stick with just abs, no computers to regulate what I can do.

[kevinhibbard]

You're a rare breed Casey. Common sense and intelligence. Most super smart people I know lack common sense. Keep it up. And I have been asking for a build breakdown on the batmobile since vinwiki, so thanks for that too.

[geniferteal]

2 Jacks, not seeing any jack stands. Might not be a safe situation going on there.

[jakobholgersson]

I agree with this quite hard. In Sweden, it's a well known fact that people are more likely to be in accidents shortly after they get their license. Some people bitched that testosterone pumped youngsters shouldn't be allowed to drive because they're dangerous.
Then our biggest insurance company lays down a report that turns everything on its head: while it's true that new drivers are more prone to be in accidents, it's not because they're "bad drivers", but because they drive how they were taught to drive. They have the rules fresh in their mind and drive how they're supposed to. So when they're driving on the actual main road, they're completely unprepared for a more routined driver who thinks he's got the way of right because he's driving on the wider road. They know how roundabouts are supposed to work and haven't yet learned that truck drivers don't care and instead try to use their intimidating size to squeeze themselves in when they should stop. They're not looking for some crazy jackass who's trying to overtake them on in the right lane on the highway.
And in terms of tires, I agree they're important. A few years ago I bought a Saab 9-3. For the first few months, I thought it had terrible handling and was awfully noisy. I soon had to change tires and my experience changed instantly.
I'm shocked to hear about the US wire barriers. In Sweden, they're knee high.

[leaveit]

The law requiring tire manufacturers to put dates on tires originated from a crash involving a Ferrari with very old tires. After the crash and the death of the driver, the family lobbied to have the law passed. So like Casey said, age of tires is important and there's dates on them for a reason.