In advance of the August Bank Holiday, TyreSafe is urging drivers to take a few minutes to check that tyres are inflated to the correct pressure to reduce the likelihood of suffering a blowout. Here are the association’s eight top tips for checking tyre pressures correctly:
British tabloid, The Sun was singing the praises of Dannii Minogue today, alongside pictures of the karaoke judge checking the pressure of her tyres while on vacation in France.
TyreSafe and RoadSafe have formalised a reciprocal agreement. The collaboration will see the organisations working more closely together, taking an active part in each other’s development and initiatives to reduce the number of casualties and accidents on the UK’s roads. TyreSafe has become a full member of RoadSafe meaning it will take a seat on its advisory panel, while RoadSafe has joined TyreSafe as an associate member.
With more than 2 million extra caravan holidays predicted in the UK this year, TyreSafe is reminding caravanners to make sure all of their tyres are safe for travel before taking to the road. Caravans left standing throughout the year can develop flatspots or suffer from exposure to UV rays which may lead to handling issues or premature failure. Additionally, tyre pressures should be checked not only on the caravan, but also on the towing vehicle and adjusted accordingly to take account of the extra load.
VisitBritain is predicting a 20 per cent rise in British holidays this summer. Earlier this year The Caravan Club reported advance bookings up by 40 per cent on 2008, and the National Caravan Council predicts that nearly 14 million holidays will be taken in 2009 in touring caravans, motor caravans and caravan holiday homes.
TyreSafe has appointed Red Marlin Communications to handle its national PR. The appointment takes effect immediately and will see the company “working to raise awareness of tyre-related safety issues across a wide range of consumer, trade and business audiences.” As well as developing a stream of regular news and educational stories, the agency is aiming to help TyreSafe engage with relevant stakeholder groups to widen the distribution of its tyre safety messages.
TyreSafe has added truck tyre safety information to its website and is promoting a truck tyre safety handout through its online presence. Defective tyres represent a growing number of MoT failures in the HGV sector, with statistics recorded by VOSA showing that an MoT failure rate of 36.5 percent was recorded in 2007/8, with ‘condition of tyres’ ranking as the second most common failure defect.
Peter Taylor the Tyre Recycling Association’s secretary general and long time director of the Imported Tyre Manufacturers Association (ITMA) has been awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in a move which is seen as honouring the UK tyre industry’s pioneering work in developing a ground breaking tyre recovery and recycling programme.
“I am absolutely delighted to receive this important honour,” said Peter Taylor: “However without the help and support of other members of the tyre industry and its various trade associations we would not have been able to establish the Responsible Recycler Scheme and make it work as effectively as it does. I am happy to accept this honour on behalf of the UK tyre industry.”
The rise in online tyre shopping seems set to remain ongoing, but will this trend prompt another more worrying development in terms of consumers fitting appropriate tyres to their equipment? Tyresafe believes that as e-Commerce continues to boom motorists looking to online retailers for their next pair of tyres are putting their safety at risk by selecting tyres with a lower speed symbol than recommended for their car. This error is not always made unintentionally, says the campaign; in fact, there is a danger that some customers are deliberately choosing lower speed rated tyres due to the lower prices yielded in online comparisons. With safe vehicle handling largely dependent on using the right type of tyres for the car, TyreSafe is urging motorists to consider that selecting tyres of the recommended size, load index and speed symbol is essential to safe driving.
Stuart Jackson, chairman of TyreSafe comments that, “When shopping for tyres, many motorists hold the misconception that their choice of speed symbol should be determined by how fast they drive. The reality is that a tyre’s speed symbol is not just a measure of the tyre’s maximum speed capability; it also provides an indication of overall performance, even at lower speeds. While many motorists may be feeling the pinch in the current economic climate, we would encourage them not to compromise on road safety. Driving on tyres with a lower speed symbol than recommended may seriously compromise vehicle handling, putting the driver and other road users at risk. It could also cause irreversible damage through exaggerated wear or sidewall cracking.”
April’s Bike Tyre Safety Month saw the TyreSafe website receive the highest number of visits to its website to date, the safety organisation has reported. According to a statement, the tyre safety campaign saw tyresafe.org receive 26,700 visits during the month-long campaign, a 185 per cent increase from April 2008.
TyreSafe’s Bike Tyre Safety Month aimed to raise awareness of the importance of tyres in road safety. Top tips for bike tyre safety maintenance together with key tyre safety advice were shared with bikers via a dedicated page on the TyreSafe website, where visitors were also offered the opportunity to register for the organisation’s newsletter and receive a free tyre valve extension. The campaign received support from a wide range of organisations, such as the Motorcycle Industry Association, the Institute of Advanced Motorists and the British Motorcyclists Federation.
TyreSafe and the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) are calling on experienced bikers to help promote tyre safety among motorcyclists. With increasing numbers of motorcyclists taking to the road this spring, TyreSafe and the IAM are advising experienced bikers and biking enthusiasts to help raise awareness of the importance of riding on safe tyres. During April’s Bike Tyre Safety Month, TyreSafe is reaching out to motorcyclists of all levels, including enthusiasts, with a reminder that correct tyre maintenance helps keep bikers safe on the road, and may ultimately save their life. As the improved weather conditions attract thousands of bikers to rallies and race meetings around the country, TyreSafe advises checking the pressure, tread depth and condition of tyres before setting off on long journeys.
Vredestein UK managing director, Stuart Jackson has become chairman of TyreSafe. According to the tyre safety organisation, he replaced former chairman Rob Beddis as the public face of TyreSafe during February and will continue Beddis’s work in raising awareness among motorists of the importance of well maintained tyres in road safety.
As many as 3.6 million UK motorists could be driving on illegal tyres, according to the latest research. Figures from the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) show that of nearly 60,000 cars checked in January 2009 by retail members, 7,000 were being driven on at least one illegal tyre. Extrapolated across the population, this could amount to 3.6 million cars in the UK whose owners are at risk of causing serious road accidents. The disturbing findings are reflected by another recent survey conducted by TyreSafe, revealing that nearly one in ten motorists expects to spend less on tyres in 2009 compared with last year.
“When you consider that there are over 30 million cars on the UK’s roads, learning that one in ten motorists admits they plan to spend less on tyres shows an alarming lack of awareness among drivers towards their own road safety and the safety of the others,” TyreSafe chairman Rob Beddis commented. “Many tyre dealers have indeed reported that more drivers are letting their tyres run below the legal tread depth before they replace them as they feel the financial pinch. This is a worrying trend which sadly may result in more accidents and road deaths as a result of the loss of grip and longer stopping distances associated with illegal tyres.”
The TyreSafe research reveals that motorists in London are most likely to decrease their spending on tyres in 2009 with one in ten drivers expecting to spend less, while drivers in the East Midlands have the most responsible attitude towards replacing tyres, with less than 3 per cent expecting to spend less on tyres over the coming year.
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.
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.”
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.
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