TYRE SAFETY
Over the years, Uniroyal has developed a strength in the area of wet weather tyres, so it is hardly then surprising that its latest product has been named the RainExpert. The new range for super-mini, compact and medium cars covers 78 sizes between 13 and 16-inches – some 96.5 per cent of the European compact and high performance segment. The first 43 sizes were released in January, and a May launch is planned for the remaining 35 sizes.
British e-Tailer Blackcircles.com has thrown its hat into the ring in The Netherlands, seeking to do battle with competitors who, managing director Mike Welch says, “are growing on the back of offering customers an inferior deal.” Autobandenshop.com will offer Dutch motorists access to all the major tyre brands carried by the British website.
Welch continues, “One of the core guiding principles of Blackcircles.com is that there should be no barriers to tyre safety and we are delighted to be helping Dutch motorists to stay safe on the road. Our aim in Holland is to set a new standard for low cost tyres combined with high quality service.”
In 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.
Kwik-Fit Fleet’s association with the Leasedrive Velo Group continues with the signing of a new three-year contract to provide a range of fast fit services to the vehicle management group. The independent fast fit operator has maintained a relationship with the company since the days before Leasedrive and Velo merged in 2007, and this latest contract replaces the initial 12-month agreement signed following the merger.
Bridgestone Americas has officially unveiled its new online driver safety program at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show. With the launch of the new website, all of Bridgestone Americas’ consumer road safety programs are unified under a single banner — Think Before You Drive — a driver education initiative of the global Bridgestone Group. While the site is designed to educate all passenger vehicle drivers, it has a special focus on younger drivers, incorporating all of Bridgestone’s consumer safety and education programs under one comprehensive umbrella to further reinforce the importance of smart driving, the company said.
The company said that ThinkBeforeYouDrive.org provides tyre safety lessons and driving skills to help reduce preventable tragedies on the road. The site highlights the variety of consumer safety and education programs the company runs or sponsors, such as SafetyScholars.com, Mario Andretti’s Real Information On Safety, Driver’s Edge, Car Care Academies and TireSafety.com. The site offers visitors a variety of interactive services including video games, quizzes, videos, vehicle maintenance tips and more, according to the company. (Tire Review/Akron)
Volkswagen Group UK Ltd has become the first vehicle manufacturer to join TyreSafe. The five brands which make up the Group – Audi, SEAT, Škoda, Volkswagen and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles – have become full members and will participate in a series of national campaigns highlighting the importance of tyres in road safety.
“The addition of a vehicle manufacturer to our organisation is an important step forward for TyreSafe,” comments Rob Beddis, chairman, TyreSafe. “As we continually expand and engage with the wider automotive industry, the Volkswagen Group’s extensive experience of dealing with motorists and fleets will be invaluable to future TyreSafe campaigns. We look forward to receiving a fresh perspective and input, helping to reduce the number of accidents caused by defective tyres.”
A new product on show at SEMA was the patented RightPSI tyre pressure management system. RightPSI mounts quickly and easily to any tyre valve stem. Three different coloured tyre-pressure indicators provide a visual reference for tyre pressure status – orange for low pressure, black for correct pressure, and yellow for over-fill status.
The coloured indicator can be seen from up to 15 feet away, making it easy to effectively and consistently monitor tyre pressure. RightPSI is the only product of its kind that can be used as a tyre-pressure gauge, tyre-pressure fill point, and over-fill indicator simultaneously.
Michelin Training Instructor Nigel Williams has returned from a visit to Zambia, during which he put his hand to reducing one of the country’s greatest causes of death. The 35-year old from Uttoxeter travelled to the African nation for a two-week assignment with the international development charity Transaid. Williams provided tyre related driver safety training for commercial vehicle driver instructors at the Industrial Training Centre Trust (ITCT) in the Zambian capital, Lusaka.
Tyresafe and the National Tyre Distributors Association have released a message for British skiers driving to their destination of choice this season: make sure your tyres are fit for purpose. Tyresafe says that, when heading to European skiing destinations, motorists should ensure they use correctly inflated tyres with sufficient tread depth to perform on icy, snow-covered roads.
Backing up the organisation’s advice, the NTDA has released a special technical bulletin to provide advice for UK Tyre retailers to pass on to their customers planning to drive across Europe in the coming months. The bulletin will allow dealers to give valuable advice to British motorists, many of whom may be unaware of the guidelines set out by each individual country.
This is a short extract. Tyrepress and Tyres & Accessories subscribers can log in below to read the full article.
If you are not yet a Tyrepress or Tyres & Accessories subscriber, you can change that here.
Becoming a member has benefits such as:
Almost one in ten cars examined by ATS Euromaster as part of a recent unscheduled tyre safety inspection were found to have at least one tyre which was at or below the legal limit of 1.6 millimetres or another similarly major defect. The surprise car park inspection saw technicians record the tyre tread depth and overall condition of each tyre on 147 cars at a popular conference venue in Birmingham.
Following the inspections, technicians left advice cards warning drivers about their tyre condition. Fourteen vehicles (9.5 per cent) were in red condition, according to the company’s traffic light scale, with one or more tyres at a tread depth at or below the legal limit of 1.6mm, or with a serious defect requiring immediate attention. A further 15 vehicles (10.2 per cent) received ‘amber’ warnings – typically tyres where the tread depth is getting low (2mm or below) or with defects requiring attention. The remaining 118 cars (80.3 per cent) had tyre tread depths above 2mm on all tyres, and no obvious defects.
Birmingham Motor Tyres (BMTR) has been named as the overall winner of Bridgestone’s First Stop Business Development Programme, which recognises outstanding achievement by First Stop dealerships across the UK.
The dealership, which has two retail outlets in the Midlands, was judged on a number of criteria including performance in tyre safety checks, the appearance of staff, workshop and reception areas, alongside staff expertise and training. The dealership scored particularly highly on customer service and was announced as the overall ‘Centre of Excellence’ title winner, receiving a complete refurbishment of the Coleshill site’s reception area and gift vouchers for the employees.
Road safety association GEM Motoring Assist (GEM) has urged all vehicle manufacturers to include an accurate tyre pressure-measuring device as part of the spare tyre equipment kit supplied with new cars. In voicing this request, the association says that defective or under-inflated tyres were a contributory factor in the death of 43 motorists in 2007 and played a part in nearly 1,000 further accidents.
David Williams, chief executive of GEM, is supporting the work of TyreSafe and the safety organisation’s argument that tyres play a fundamental role in the performance and safe handling of a car. “Many gauges on fuel station forecourts are not accurate and constant use of them could give drivers a false sense of security,” said Williams. “Including an easy to use digital tyre pressure reader as part of the tool kit of any new car with simple instructions of how and when to use it would cost very little to the vehicle manufacturer and be a real safety benefit for the owner.”
Tyre safety body TyreSafe has come a long way since its birth as the Tyre Industry Council in 1992. Chairman, Rob Beddis, explains the evolution of the organisation, what it stands for, its achievements to date and its plans for the future.
TyreSafe as an organisation officially took shape in January 2007, with the aim of evolving into the UK’s leading tyre safety industry body. The Tyre Industry Council was originally formed by tyre industry associations with the intention of raising consumer awareness of the dangers of illegal or defective tyres. The original membership comprised the British Rubber Manufacturers Association (BRMA), now the British Tyre Manufacturers Association (BTMA), and the Imported Tyre Manufacturers Association along with support from major tyre retailers.
Vredestein has voiced support for the UK government’s campaign to reduce child road deaths and by introducing a simple yet practical road safety initiative targeted – to begin with – at four schools in the UK. The programme will provide seven and nine years olds with luminous arm straps to help enhance visibility on their way to and from school during winter months.
Chris Wakley, founding executive director at Automotive PR, has received a special award from TyreSafe recognising his contribution to tyre safety over the past 15 years. It is only the third time that the award has been conferred. Wakley handled media relations for the Tyre Industry Council since its inception which latterly became TyreSafe. The organisation is the UK’s leading tyre safety body.
The TyreSafe Award was presented by Rob Beddis, chairman of TyreSafe “in recognition of the outstanding contribution to tyre safety”. According to Beddis: “Chris was responsible for developing a very successful series of tyre safety campaigns ranging from regional roadside tyre checks arranged with practically all UK police forces, to tyre safety weeks in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North East of England.”
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
