Motorists Urged to Remember Tyres

June 5 to 12 is Auto Safety Week in the Australian state of Victoria, and this year the campaign is placing a heavy emphasis on tyre safety. As part of the program motorists are being given a timely reminder of the same important safety issues that would sound very familiar to – and are unfortunately largely ignored by – drivers in most countries.

Appropriate tyre maintenance is no less overlooked in Australia than in other parts of the world, and the preliminary results of an ongoing test conducted by the business group VACC (Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce) and motorists’ organisation RACV (Royal Automobile Club of Victoria) confirm the finding of previous surveys, showing that one in every five cars on the roads in the state of Victoria are fitted with at least one unroadworthy tyre, while a further twenty per cent of vehicles have at least one tyre that has reached the end of its safe working life. Even more disturbing was the finding that more than half of those motorists stopped as part of the test said they did not know how, or when, to check their tyres.

Any driver tempted to shrug off Auto Safety Week should bear in mind that one of the campaign’s partners is the Royal Australasian college of Surgeons (RACS), and there is a good reason for this group’s interest in tyre safety. “As surgeons we deal with the often horrific physical injuries to victims and emotional trauma of their families,” stated RACS trauma surgeon and Road Trauma Committee chairman Garry Grossbard. “If proper tyre maintenance can help prevent car crashes, then the RACS wholeheartedly encourages all motorists to carry out regular checks of tyre condition.”

Studies conducted by RACV highlight the deterioration in vehicle safety when unroadworthy tyres are fitted. According to RACV chief engineer Michael case, tests on wet roads showed that braking at 80km/h on unsafe tyres added a crucial extra three car lengths in stopping distance compared to stopping distance for near-new tyres. “Motorists should be regularly checking their tyres for wear and making sure they are properly inflated. This is important to not only improve safety, but improve comfort over a journey and fuel efficiency,” said Mr. Case.

“Driving on worn tyres can have horrendous consequences and at times the most horrendous of all – the multiple loss of life.”