Tyres & Accessories April 2009
In addition to all the latest news and analysis, April's issue of Tyres & Accesories contains features on Private Brands and Wheel Alignment, as well as our annual in-depth Wheel Report.
Posts
In Tyres & Accessories, April 2009:
Private Brands
Wheel Report
Wheel Alignment
Product News Private Business
The opportunity to exclusively offer a range of tyres is very attractive, and gives a business a point of difference between it and the competitor around the corner. The UK is reported to have one of the most active private brand markets in the world, with new labels regularly added to the healthy range currently available. A good private brand in the portfolio can make noticeable difference to a company’s sales figures – just one reason to include April’s Private Brands feature on your monthly must-read list.
At the Centre of Things
It takes more than a tyre to make a wheel, and without that metal bit in the middle we’d be left with a rubber circle flopping about on the road. Thank goodness then for rims, the oft-overlooked partner to the tyre. The April edition of Tyres & Accessories puts the centre part of the wheel on centre stage: See next month’s Wheel Report for the latest product and industry news.
No Deviation Allowed
If you’ve ever strayed from the straight and narrow, gone off the beaten track or exhibited divergent characteristics, don’t spend too much time in soul searching – it was probably just your vehicle’s wheel alignment. While the Department for Transport attributes only around 4 per cent of MOT failures to steering defects, undetected wheel alignment issues are much more frequent and are a key cause of premature tyre wear. Next month’s Wheel Alignment feature will help you stay trim and true with all things alignment-related.
TyreSafe Promotes Bike Tyre Awareness
Product NewsIn the run-up to April’s Bike Tyre Safety Month, TyreSafe is calling on tyre retailers to help raise awareness of the importance of tyres in bike safety. Statistic from VOSA reveal that in 2007/08, defective or illegal tyres was recorded as the fourth most common MoT failure defect. Worryingly, the number of MoT failures attributed to defective tyres has grown year on year for the past three years, increasing from 2.8 per cent of motorcycles tested in 2005/06 to 4.8 per cent in 2007/08. Meanwhile, motorcycle fatality rates remain high, with Department for Transport figures showing that in 2007, 588 motorcyclists died in road traffic accidents, accounting for 20 percent of all fatalities on the road.
Motorcycle registrations decline 16% in November
Product NewsA recurring theme towards the end of 2008 has been that of difficult times. Barely a day passes in the automotive industry where news of a factory pausing production or ceasing operations altogether is not reported, and sales of new cars in the UK took a hammering in November. For this month the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders recorded 100,333 sales, a staggering drop of 36.8 per cent compared with November 2007. And while comparing favourably to this sobering statistic, November registration figures for two wheeled vehicles show this sector of the market is also not immune to the economic downturn.
Honest John Picks Up on Cold Weather
Product NewsPopular motoring columnist “Honest John” has reported on TyreSafe’s recent cold weather tyre advice. “People who do not want to spend their Christmas break sorting out a car insurance claim may benefit from switching to cold weather tyres,” HonestJohn.co.uk’s news section reported.
The reported was based on material originally published by TyreSafe, which highlighted Department for Transport statistics showing that slippery surfaces were a factor in 55 per cent of traffic accidents where the state of the road played a part in 2007.
TyreSafe: Cold Weather Tyres Offer Safer Alternative
Product NewsWith Winter upon us TyreSafe is advising motorists to consider fitting cold weather tyres in order to improve road safety. Slippery roads accounted for 55 per cent of road traffic accidents in which road environment was a contributory factor in 2007, according to Department for Transport (DfT) figures. In November 2007, the DfT recorded a spike in personal injury accidents as drivers were caught out by the drop in temperature and increased rainfall, with 16,559 accidents recorded, nearly 700 more accidents than at any other time in the year.
Kwik-Fit Fleet Counters Winter Dangers with Safety Checks
NewsRoad casualties peak in the winter months, and a causal factor in many instances is that at least one of the vehicles involved is not maintained to the best possible level. For this reason Kwik-Fit Fleet is once again offering free safety checks. Company car and van drivers can call in at any of Kwik-Fit’s 670 High Street centres for the free five-point safety check, which covers:
Rogue Drivers Forced Off The Roads
Product NewsThe number of rogue drivers on Britain’s roads has dropped significantly, the results of a joint police and Government operation, released by the Department for Transport, indicate. Compared with a similar operation in 2006, fewer motorists were found to be driving without a valid licence, insurance or MOT. Operation V79, carried out by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and its Scottish counterpart ACPOS in partnership with the Department for Transport, showed that:
* The level of unlicensed drivers stopped fell by half over two years – to 0.8 per cent from 1.6 per cent in 2006
* The level of uninsured drivers stopped fell to 1.2 per cent from 1.9 per cent in 2006
* The level of vehicles stopped which required but were without a current MOT fell to 1.5 per cent from 4.2 per cent in 2006
* The level of drivers stopped without valid vehicle tax fell to 1 per cent from 2 per cent in 2006
* The level of drivers committing a serious offence, such as no insurance, or driving whilst disqualified, fell to 3.4 per cent from 7.5 per cent in 2006 while the number committing any of the offences looked for – which included failing to notify change of vehicle ownership, illegal vehicle number plates – fell to 11.1 per cent from 21 per cent in 2006.
NTDA Awarded TyreSafe Awareness Prize
Product NewsTyresafe has given the National Tyre Distributors Association its tyre safety award for the NTDA’s contribution to raising public awareness of the importance of tyre safety. The NTDA was recognised for its contribution British Tyre Manufacturer’s Association (BTMA) Tyre Industry Dinner in Solihull on 26th September 2008. Rob Beddis, chairman of TyreSafe, presented the TyreSafe award to NTDA chairman Peter Gaster. The NTDA says that the award is a tribute to the association’s hard work and commitment to keeping Britain’s motorists safe on the roads.
“The NTDA has made a significant contribution to raising awareness of the importance of tyre safety and are worthy recipients of the TyreSafe award,” said Beddis. “NTDA members have given their full support to Tyre Safety Month, and have also been rigorous in running their own tyre safety campaigns, notably the recent tyre ageing campaign held in conjunction with the RAC Foundation, which reached out to motorists via TV, radio and press to raise awareness of the dangers of driving on over-aged tyres.”
Tyre Inflation Message Still Ignored, Says TyreSafe
Product NewsThe message is still not getting through, says TyreSafe. Motorists are continuing to place their own lives, as well as those of passengers and other road users at risk by ignoring the dangers of incorrect tyre inflation. As Tyre Safety Month gets underway, the safety organisation has reported on Department for Transport statistics showing that illegal, defective or under-inflated tyres were a contributory factor in the death of 43 motorists in 2007, and played a part in a further 984 accidents.
Tyre Safety Month Gets Underway
Product NewsIt might not be October just yet, but Tyre Safety Month began in earnest yesterday when TyreSafe demonstrated the effects of driving with under-inflated tyres at the Millbrook test centre in Bedfordshire. This year’s awareness raising campaign puts simple tyre pressure maintenance well and truly at the centre of the safety agenda. When October’s Tyre Safety Month begins, TyreSafe will use publicity in the print, online and broadcast media to advise motorists to check their tyre pressures and stay safe on the roads. TyreSafe’s demonstrations clearly showed the market negative effects of driving with underinflated tyres particularly with regard to: cornering, handling, fuel economy and temperature.
According to TyreSafe, the latest statistics released by the Department for Transport show that illegal, defective or under-inflated tyres were a contributory factor in the deaths of 43 motorists in 2007, and played a part in a further 984 accidents. New research conducted by TyreSafe has highlighted the scale of the problem, with more than half of motorists surveyed admitting that they had not checked their tyre pressure in the last month, the maximum period recommended by TyreSafe between pressure checks.
Michelin X-Crane Tyres Now Capable of 50mph
Product NewsMichelin’s latest X-Crane tyres now offer an ‘F’ speed rating (50mph) in place of the previous ‘E’ rating (43mph). The move follows technical approval from the European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation (ETRTO) under recommendation to the Department for Transport, which has granted authorisation for ‘F’ rated tyres with the same load/speed chart used for tyres with an ‘E’ speed index. It also states that for speeds below 40mph, a formal tyre manufacturer agreement is required.
The ‘F’ rated Michelin X-Crane tyres were launched in response to requests from crane manufacturers for a tyre which could meet the high performance of the latest generation cranes, which are capable of speeds in excess of 50mph. Furthermore, legislation announced at the end of 2004 governing the use of mobile cranes on a public highway changed, with a series of new weight and speed restrictions being introduced.
Kwik-Fit Fleet Encourages Participation in Road Risk Survey
NewsBritain’s largest independent fast-fit operator, Kwik-Fit Fleet, is participating in a major occupational road risk management survey in conjunction with RoadSafe, the organisation responsible for managing the Government’s ‘Driving for Better Business’ programme. The survey was officially launched at the Fleet Business Show at the Business Design Centre, London on April 29. The survey’s aim is to gain information on what actions senior managers with responsibility for fleet operations and the use of privately-owned cars on business have taken to reduce their organisations’ risk exposure in the light of the implementation of the month’s Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act in early April.
Mike Wise, head of Kwik-Fit Fleet, said: “The importance of companies managing occupational road risk has continued to increase in recent years. As a business we undertake hundreds of thousands of safety checks on vehicles and often find that cars and vans are not in tip-top condition. A failure by companies and their employees to ensure a vehicle’s safety-related equipment is in a first-class condition could be the difference between life and death.
UK Drivers Amongst the Least Attentive to Tyre Pressure – Michelin
Product NewsMichelin’s year long study into tyre pressure has revealed that the proportion of cars on British roads with tyres at an incorrect pressure could be as high as 80 per cent, and the pressure in the tyres of half of all cars is incorrect to an extent that renders the vehicle dangerous to operate and an accident risk.
The French manufacturer checked the tyre pressure of thousands of vehicles across 27 European Union countries during its ‘Fill up with Air’ campaign, and results indicate that the UK, ranked 25th out of 27, was near the bottom of the pile in terms of ensuring correct tyre pressure – only Greece and Latvia faired worse. And not only is road safety being jeopardised by our sloppy indifference – major cost implications follow incorrect tyre pressure through increased fuel consumption, a factor that also impacts on our environment.
Road Transport up 0.6% Between 2006 and 2007
Product NewsThe Department for Transport has published National Statistics on Traffic in Great Britain for the fourth quarter of 2007 and for 2007 as a whole. Comparing the whole of 2007 with 2006, traffic is provisionally estimated to have increased by 0.6 per cent. This is lower than the underlying annual rate of increase of 1.3 per cent from 2001 to 2006.
The 198-page report goes into significant detail, but reveals that, comparing 2007 with 2006 as a whole, car traffic decreased by 1 per cent.; light van traffic was 9 per cent higher; and heavy goods vehicle traffic was 1 per cent higher. This means, according to the report, cars account for 78 per cent of all motor vehicle traffic, light vans (14 per cent), good vehicles (6 per cent) and other vehicles (2 per cent).
