TYRE SAFETY
When did you last do it? That’s probably a question you didn’t expect to encounter here, and we beg you not to don your angry hat and express your disgust. The question is tongue-in-cheek, and is being posed by TyreSafe to mark today’s start of Tyre Safety Month.
The latest Department for Transport data, compiled by the Office of National Statistics shows that road deaths increased by 4 per cent compared with 2013, rising to 1,775. The “Reported road casualties Great Britain: annual report 2014”, which was published on 24 September also points out that the number of people seriously injured increased by 5 per cent to 22,807 in 2014.
The first phase of its tyre survey produced “startling results”, says TyreSafe, and therefore the organisation is asking all replacement tyre points of sale to support an even larger and more comprehensive second round. Once again, TyreSafe will carry out the survey in partnership with Highways England, and the aim of this second round is to build on the already sizable first round sample in order to offer greater insight into the condition of the nation’s tyres. Data collation will begin on 1 October and the results will provide intelligence-led information to inform future tyre safety policy.
Anyone who doubts the need for a campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of worn or badly-maintained tyres should consider the following statistics, released by TyreSafe and sourced from Department for Transport ‘Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain’.
Tyre maker and automotive systems supplier Continental is to serve as a key partner to a four-year global campaign being rolled out to promote awareness of leading vehicle crash avoidance technologies in major emerging markets. The firm’s Tire and Chassis & Safety divisions are supporting the ‘Stop the Crash’ initiative organised by Global NCAP (Global New Car Assessment Programme), the London-based umbrella body of the NCAP organisations that carry out vehicle safety tests around the world. The company also states it will more closely position its Continental tyre brand to the campaign’s long-term goals.
Selecta Tyre Ltd, a tyre retailer and fitter with 15 branches across the UK, has become the 97th member of tyre safety association TyreSafe. As an independent, family-run business, Selecta has provided tyre safety advice and guidance for its customers since its very beginning in 1973, building a reputation based on dedication to customer care. By joining TyreSafe Selecta has access to TyreSafe’s campaigns and resource materials and is able to offer additional support to its customers and staff.
In his position as Bridgestone’s north region managing director, as well as chair of the SMMT Aftermarket Section, Robin Shaw has expressed concern at Chancellor George Osborne’s plans in last month’s Budget to extend the deadline for new cars and motorcycles to be MOT tested after four years instead of three. Shaw believes the added 12 months will result in more cars running on tyres with tread depths below the 1.6mm legal limit.
Experienced MOT testers across the UK say that delaying the first test from year 3 to year 4, adds to the risk a vehicle or parts will become worn out or defective. With some figures suggesting that one in five vehicles fail the MOT in the first 3 years, adding another year will not only exacerbate the problem, but also mean that many vehicles will no longer be covered by most vehicle manufactures 3 year warranties.
Following the launch of the WheelRright’s free drive-over pressure check initiative at Keele services M6 south in March, the company has released details of the programme’s first findings.
TyreSafe’s annual industry briefing this month made it clear that illegal tread depth remains a problem in the UK. In its survey of Britain, TyreSafe found that 27.1 per cent of tyres inspected had less than the legal limit, 1.6mm of tread, while another 39.0 per cent were close to the limit (between 1.6 and 2.0mm. Given this context, the presence of a new, technologically advanced tread depth measurement system, present in a handheld device called the TreadReader, and in drive-over products manufactured by Hunter and distributed in the UK by Pro-Align, is significant. Sue Pryce, marketing director of the British firm behind the technology, Sigmavision, provides an additional perspective on the “unsettling” tread depth statistics.
Tyre Safety Month 2015 registration began on 9 July, following TyreSafe’s annual briefing.
Running throughout October, Tyre Safety Month is the tyre industry’s main annual campaign, providing a focal point for the entire industry and an ideal platform to educate road users about the importance of correct tyre care and maintenance. The awareness raising campaign brings road safety professionals, government officials, emergency services, businesses, tyre dealers and others together to organise local awareness-raising events throughout the UK.
Owing to the fact that TyreSafe now has over 100 active members (many of which are large and/or influential businesses in their respective areas), the organisation is better placed than ever to effect change and there certainly seems to have been progress towards the association’s goal of changing hearts and minds in relation to tyres. As Stuart Jackson said during his presentation at the recent TyreSafe annual briefing, “let’s not talk about it being a commodity, it is a safety critical product”.
Following news that the Government plans to consult on extending the MoT period from three years to four, HPI, provider of the HPI Check, warns that the risk of clocking fraud could escalate significantly.
The new plans were announced in the budget, which prompted an industry backlash concerning the risk to consumer safety, if vehicles are left without an MoT for an extra year. However, HPI sees a hidden threat from clockers, who will take advantage of the extension to turn back the mileage and sell the vehicles on to unsuspecting buyers.
Duncan Wilkes, CEO of Micheldever Tyre Services Ltd, has spoken out against government proposals to extend the time until the first MOT, calling such a move “a backwards step for road safety and a false economy.”
Speaking a week after the chancellor of the Exchequer referred the MOT proposal in his annual budget, Wilkes said: “It is incorrect to assume the test is irrelevant for new cars: Vosa’s own data indicates that 20 per cent of three-year-old cars fail their MOT tests. This means that moving the first test to four years would result in an extra half a million unsafe cars on UK roads.”
You need to replace two of your car’s tyres, but the question is – do you fit the new tyres onto the front or rear axle? The team at Kumho Tyre note that a lot of people assume new tyres should be fitted on the front axle, but in this case you shouldn’t follow the consensus. Kumho Tyre recommends that you always fit a pair of new tyres on the rear axle, and here’s why…
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