RMA survey – the US is an underflation nation

Much is said about the so-called ‘special relationship’ Britain shares with the United States, and surveys carried out by the US-based Rubber Manufacturers Association shows that our affinity extends to mutual apathy when it comes to tyre care. The RMA surveys produced similar results to studies conducted by TyreSafe and other organisations on this side of the pond; the industry association found that only about one in six vehicles boast four correctly inflated tyres and only 15 per cent of drivers actually know how to properly check tyre pressure.

The RMA shares estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that underinflated tyres contribute to more than road 600 fatalities and 33,000 injuries each year, while the US Department of Energy estimates that underinflated tyres waste more than a billion gallons of fuel annually. “America needs inflation,” said RMA president and CEO Charles Cannon. “In just five minutes every month, motorists can ensure that their tyres are properly inflated which promotes safety, better fuel economy and helps prevent premature wear.”

A RMA-sponsored phone survey of 1,000 motorists in the US, showed that 62 per cent of drivers don’t know where to find the correct inflation pressure for their vehicle’s tyres, 43 per cent don’t know that tyres should be checked when cold, and while 60 per cent of drivers wash their cars once a month, only 15 per cent properly check tyre pressure that often. Men faired better than women, with 20 per cent declared to be “tyre smart”, in contrast to only nine per cent of women.

Another RMA-sponsored survey of more than 6,000 vehicles found that only 17 per cent of vehicles had four properly inflated tyres, 55 per cent of vehicles had at least one under inflated tyre, and 15 per cent of vehicles had at least one tyre under inflated by 8 psi.