A friend of a friend buried his twenty year old daughter yesterday. She was driving at interstate highway speeds when a tire failed, the car rolled and even her seatbelt and airbags did not save her. Good low-mileage car, no road debris, no alcohol, no weather, no speeding, no other cars involved.

Being the ex-cop butinski that I am, I thought about going to see the car at the impound lot. But I realized that I may unintentionally inflict even more pain on the family. I know what I would find... underinflated tires.

I`ve ranted about this before on DC, and now someone I know indirectly has suffered the ultimate penalty... possibly for poor car maintenence. My daughter and I have had some harsh words when I`ve found her tires at 12 pounds of pressure, with a recommended 35! I routinely check my nieces` cars and discover low oil, corroded batteries, and LOW TIRE PRESSURE!

What if the couple hundred or so regular DC users, members and lurkers, made it our mission to regularly check the vehicles of our family members, elderly neighbors, parents, and anyone else who is close to us? Toss a tire gauge in your detailing stuff and do your customers a favor.

Trying not to sound too neurotic about this... I really think that we might actually save a life or two.