TYRE SAFETY
There was a positive start to the year for TyreSafe with the announcement of a new member – Adrian Flux Insurance Services is one of the UK’s leading motor insurance firms and the first TyreSafe member from the insurance sector.
Pirelli has published a video highlighting the safety benefits of fitting winter tyres to passenger cars. The short film, created in conjunction with TyreSafe, features Pirelli’s Winter Sottozero Serie II fitted to a Jaguar XF driven at slow speeds on an ice rink. The video displays the greater grip and traction offered when setting off, in addition to the reduced stopping distance; driven at 15mph, the Jaguar fitted with the winter tyres stops three metres before that running on summer tyres.
It’s now half a decade since TyreSafe first set out to improve safety on UK roads. The 2006-established organisation is celebrating its fifth anniversary, and upon reaching this milestone can reflect with pride that, during the years it has contributed to public awareness on tyre safety, the number of motorists (as reported by DfT figures) killed or seriously injured in tyre related accidents has dropped 38 per cent.
According to a UK-based vehicle hire website, 14.6 per cent of British motorists admit retaining the tyres on their cars until they fail the MoT or are flagged as illegal during vehicle servicing. The website, VanRental.co.uk, did not specify the size or makeup of the survey group, however founder Roland Head states the results “highlight the casual attitude taken by many motorists towards tyre safety.”
The BBC’s primetime entertainment programme The One Show has clarified the advice it originally gave in a studio presentation following a report highlighting the dangers of driving on illegal tyres. The original report, which featured TyreSafe and was aired during October’s tyre safety month, prominently feature key safety messages.
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The ears of the European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers Association must have been rather warm as Ashley Croft, chairman of the Tyre Wholesalers Group of the NTDA, gave his speech at the group's annual lunch. Around 75 people – customers and suppliers – attended the event on 22 November at the National Motorcycle Museum and, as well as lunch, there was plenty of food for thought, particularly for manufacturers of premium brands.
TyreSafe Australia has been awarded Australasian distribution rights for the PressurePro TPMS system. The fleet tyre maintenance specialist says it will target mining, road transport and bus sector customers with the US-developed system. “We are proud to offer product and service for the PressurePro system,” stated TyreSafe Australia’s PressurePro executive David Horne. “They pioneered commercial and aftermarket TPMS in the US and have been global market leaders for the past 20 years.
ZAFCO, the UAE-based distributor of automotive tyres, batteries and lubricants, has announced the launch of its “Safe Tire, Safe Family” campaign. According to the company, “Safe Tire, Safe Family” is a bid to help make roads safer for commuters in the UAE. In launching the effort, ZAFCO conducted complementary vehicle inspections, starting with Al Noor Training Centre on the 23 and 24 of October, with plans for the campaign to branch out to schools across the country.
TyreSafe reports that its membership drive is on a ‘roll’ Bond International, one of the UK’s leading tyre wholesalers, the latest to join up. 2011 has seen a number of public organisations and businesses show their commitment to road safety by becoming TyreSafe members, among them The Association of Chief Fire Officers, the British Horse Society, several vehicle manufacturers, tyre manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers as well as garage equipment suppliers.
Online tyre retailer Blackcirlces.com has joined TyreSafe, continuing a year of membership growth for the not-for-profit organisation reach top gear. The e-Tailer will assist TyreSafe in a wide range of campaigns aimed at raising the awareness of correct tyre maintenance. Mike Welch, managing director of Blackcircles.com, said: “A key priority for us has always been helping our customers to remain safe on the road by reducing the cost of their tyre purchase.
Manufacturers and tyre safety organisations generally recommend replacing tyres when tread depth reaches 4mm; with winter tyres, the role tread plays is even more pronounced. In an official release, Continental quotes the advice of one Ruprecht Müller, an expert at the technical centre run by the German motoring organisation ADAC: “The tread pattern makes a crucial difference, especially on snow and slush,” stated Müller. “A winter tyre loses much of its traction on snow in particular when the residual tread depth drops below four millimetres or so. It makes good sense to replace the tyres at this tread depth at the very latest.
Goodyear Dunlop hosted an event at its Innovation Centre in Luxembourg, showing the road safety benefits that it believes the European tyre labelling legislation will have when it is introduced on 1 November 2012. 140 guests from over 25 European countries attended Road Safety Days, during which Goodyear argued that the 7.5x11cm label could help reduce stopping distances of vehicles on wet roads by “up to four car lengths”, in addition to reducing fuel consumption “by 7.5 per cent and lessen CO2 emissions.” During her presentation Lie Junius, the company’s EMEA director of public affairs, hinted that the “game-changing” labels could be introduced early in a “six-month transaction period… depending on the [EU] legislature.” A full report will be published in Tyres & Accessories’ December issue.
Maxxis has become the latest tyre manufacturer to join TyreSafe. As a full TyreSafe member, Maxxis will benefit from early participation and involvement in the group’s campaigns and activities. It will also have access to a wide range of TyreSafe publicity material, both printed and online.
Fast fit franchise HiQ has announced that it will give free winter safety checks to motorists, prompted by Department for Transport figures indicating a three per cent increase in road accidents resultant from slippery road conditions caused by bad weather in the last five years. The free comprehensive vehicle inspections will be available at all of HiQ’s 150 centres. HiQ fast fit manager Stuart Carr says that the franchise believes winter tyres are “absolutely essential when travelling safely during the inevitable freezing temperatures.”
The Tyrespot autocentre chain in the north east has upgraded its website with a new look, also offering a new online tyre ordering facility and MOT booking service. The updated website features increased functionality, including a tyre price check and the ability to book a fitting. Johnathon Shaw, retail director of Tyrespot comments: “The updated site offers a very polished look, is much easier to navigate and offers visitors many key benefits.
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