Giti Tire has announced the appointment of Dr Gabriele Bosselmann to the newly created position of HR director – Europe. Dr Bosselmann will join the EU leadership team and be responsible for HR policies, processes and procedures, as well as hold a key role in the development of business plans and objectives.
McConechy’s Tyre Services, one of Scotland’s oldest and largest independent garage chains, has joined the road safety organisation TyreSafe. Mainly active north of the border, McConechy’s also has five branches operating across Yorkshire under the Gordon’s Tyres banner. “With an established presence across the whole of Scotland, we’re delighted to welcome on board McConechy’s as our latest member,” comments Stuart Jackson, chairman, TyreSafe.
A web-based seminar hosted by TyreSafe has prompted Trading Standards Officers around the country to increase their investigation of the illegal sale of potentially dangerous part worn tyres, the road safety organisation reports. The online event attracted more than 80 participants from around the UK, and TyreSafe chairman Stuart Jackson said that the organisation is “looking forward to helping… Trading Standards Officers around the country carry out local investigations and initiatives.” While the governmental Used Tyre Working Group data acknowledges that part worn tyre sales have increased in the UK to 4.4 million units, around 90 per cent of which are estimated to be sold without conforming to existing regulations, tackling this problem has proved strategically problematic.
Road safety organisation TyreSafe has made its PACT campaign the centrepiece of its updated 2013 materials aimed at publicising bike tyre maintenance. The organisation will work with tyre retailers, bike dealerships and other road safety professionals to help bikers stay safe on the road. PACT is an acronym, representing four key tyre safety checks: Performance, Air pressure, Condition and Tread.
According to consumer magazine Which?, local councils in England and Wales paid out £22.8 million in compensation to drivers for pothole related damage in 2012. Which is a lot, really, and indicates the extent of the pothole problem on our roads. The Which? findings have also prompted TyreSafe to warn that the current ‘pothole epidemic’ blighting the UK’s roads is not only causing added financial burden for drivers and councils, but also carries the risk that it could lead to a rise in the number of tyre related road casualties.
With a view towards improving safety standards and raising awareness of the law relating to part-worn tyres, Cumbria County Council’s Trading Standards team and Cumbria Police plan to visit tyre retailers throughout February.
TyreSafe will be hosting its first ever webinar on Monday 25th February in a bid to “improve the standards of part worn tyres” being sold in the UK. According to the organisation, the session will provide attendees with a summary of the legislation affecting the sale of part worn tyres. It will also deliver some practical advice on how the tyres should be inspected, common problems to look for and what steps must be taken to ensure used tyres are sold legally.
TyreSafe has announced that GiTi Tire has become its first new member in 2013. The company’s managing director – Europe Richard Lyons said that GiTi was demonstrating its commitment to customers’ safety and its products’ quality by joining the organisation. TyreSafe chairman Stuart Jackson pronounced himself “delighted to welcome GiTi Tire on board as a key member”. TyreSafe will continue to run a number of campaigns targeting wider awareness of tyre safety, including October’s Tyre Safety Month. The organisation’s major focus this year is on promoting tyre safety to young drivers, following its high-profile demonstrations of the hidden dangers of part-worn tyres.
A few years ago people were asking if this fuel-saving thing is ever going to catch on. Now virtually every manufacturer has a fuel-saving line and a fuel-economy strategy – we even have mandatory product labels comparing products on the basis of this characteristic.
Christmas, traditionally one of the busiest times of the year on the roads, is just over a week away, and TyreSafe has issued drivers a timely reminder about the importance of checking their tyres. It notes that the conditions that come with the hoped-for white Christmas are not the only driving conditions that car owners will need to treat with caution – damp roads can be just as hazardous, particularly if tyres are left unchecked.
TyreSafe’s 2012 tyre safety month “reached new levels of…participation”, according to the industry body. A record amount of printed point-of-sale material, including 200,000 leaflets and posters, were distributed to those in the tyre industry, particularly to participating tyre retailers and workshops offering free tyre safety checks to car owners.
Tyre retailer Merityre Specialists Ltd, which has 22 branches across southern England, has joined TyreSafe. Commenting on its reasons for joining Tyresafe, the retailer’s director Noel Pope said that “Educating motorists about safe driving should be a priority for all businesses connected to the automotive industry, especially those at the sharp end who have face-to-face contact with the public. It’s vital that drivers understand just how safety critical tyres are to a car’s handling and the performance of the tyre should be high on the agenda when it comes to their purchase.”
The problem of growing part worn tyre sales in the UK has been much discussed within the industry this year, though while it can be seen as symptomatic of certain sections of the British market’s attitude to tyre purchases, the problem is reaching a level that appears to warrant government intervention in at least one US state. Tire Review reports that Florida State Representative Jason Brodeur has proposed a bill that tackles both the sale of used tyres and tyre aging, backed by an Orlando law firm. The still unnamed and un-numbered proposal would require “retail used tyre dealers” to inform buyers of the ago of the used tyres they are buying and provide “certain warnings relating to the age of used tyres.” While the Bill is primarily concerned with the age of sold tyres, it has strong implications for those selling part worn tyres, making the dealer more responsible for knowing the provenance of their products.
As the winter nights draw in and the country gets ready to go back to GMT, TyreSafe is reminding drivers that it's not just their clocks that may need changing. Now is also the ideal time to check if their tyres are legal and safe enough to carry them through the winter months when road conditions become more treacherous and accident levels typically increase.
TyreSafe is encouraging motorists to consider fitting winter tyres, offering 147 reasons why they should. The 147 refers to the number of times temperatures fell below seven degrees Celsius during prime commuting hours on 147 separate days between the beginning of October 2011 and the end of March 2012, according to the Met Office.
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