Steps to ensure road safety
FOURWAYS – The minister for transport and the chairperson of the South Africa Tyre Manufacturing Conference have advice for motorists to stay safe on the road.
Despite a dramatic 48 per cent decrease in the number of road fatalities over Easter, Minister of Transport Blade Nzimande revealed that the incidence of burst tyres doubled over the same period.
The department’s 2019 Easter Road Safety Campaign preliminary report released early May also indicated that burst tyres were the main cause of road accidents.
Responding to this concerning trend, chairperson of the South Africa Tyre Manufacturing Conference (SATMC) Darren Hayes-Powell said, “The release of these new statistics is incredibly worrying. Suffering car tyre blowouts can be a horrifying experience. It can also be potentially fatal, even for an experienced motorist.”
Nzimande said that passenger vehicles and light delivery vehicles were largely to blame for most crashes.
The SATMC urges all drivers to be wary of:
- The sale of second-hand tyres
The unregulated sale of second-hand tyres poses a risk to the purchaser and other road users. One of the main outcomes from this practice is re-grooved tyres which are illegal in South Africa. Although these tyres may appear to be in good condition, the internal structure may be completely compromised.
It is recommended that tyres more than six years old should be replaced, regardless of their tread or how many kilometres they have driven on the roads.
- Repaired tyres
Tyres are not made to last forever. The repair of tyres is currently unregulated in South Africa, and often results in poor quality and unsafe tyres being made available to road users at a lower price.
It is recommended to buy tyres new and from a reputable dealer.
- Under-inflated tyres
Under-inflated tyres are the main cause of blowouts. When tyre pressure is too low, the tyre’s surface area touches the road more often, resulting in increased friction which leads to overheating and blowouts.
On newer cars, the recommended tyre pressure is most commonly listed on a sticker inside the driver’s door. If there is no sticker on the door, you can find the information in your vehicle owner’s manual.
- Balding tyres
Tread is an important factor in tyre safety. It not only protects your car from skidding and aquaplaning in the wet but also protects your tyre from punctures caused by driving over rocks and sticks which can lead to a blowout.
Check your tread wear indicator (TWI), before leaving on a long journey. The TWI is a rubber insert now found in all new passenger vehicle tyres in South Africa. Once these rubber inserts are level with the tyre tread, tyres are no longer safe to drive on and must be replaced.
- Bulges
If you see your tyre bulging, it indicates that the interior is faulty or damaged. A tyre bulge can be caused by hitting curbs, potholes or road dividers. Take this tyre to your nearest tyre dealer to be replaced immediately.
- Overloading your vehicle
Overloaded vehicles put a strain on tyres and increases the risk of a blowout.
Check the load rating of the tyres to determine the maximum carrying capacity of your tyres to prevent overloading of your vehicle.
“It is possible to reach a zero road fatality scenario, but we cannot achieve this without acknowledging the importance of tyre safety and awareness,” concluded Hayes-Powell.
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