Three simple checks to save you money on your tyres

GATENG.-Road safety is the responsibility of all road users, says President Cyril Ramaphosa. “Safer roads begin with checking our vehicles and keeping them off the road if they are not roadworthy,” he said in a recent speech addressing various stakeholders and the public. The South African President mourned the loss of over 14000 lives due to accidents on our roads and acknowledged the estimated R147 million per year that roadway accidents cost the country. He went on to stress that roads will not become safer unless we, as road users, change our attitudes.
“Tyre maintenance is a vital part of keeping a vehicle roadworthy,” says CEO of Sumitomo South Africa, Riaz Haffejee. “It is our mission to help road users identify safe tyres on their personal vehicle – or on a public transport vehicle that they are about to climb into. Unsafe 2nd hand tyres are also a major threat to road safety and consumers need to be aware of the risks.”

Being aware of what a safe tyre looks like, is part of arriving safely at your destination. As a board member of the South African Tyre Manufacturers Conference (SATMC), Haffejee has the following tips to share for staying safe on the road:
1. Maintain pressure
Check your tyre pressure at least once per month at the filling station.

2. Inspect the tread and tyre regularly
Around once a month, turn the steering to the far right to get a full view of the front tyres and inspect the tread. Look out for uneven tread wear and inspect the tyre tread depth. Then check the rear tyres as well.
During this visual inspection, always make sure to check the sides of the tyres for bulges (or bubble type defects), gashes or cuts that expose any steel wires or fabric in the tyre. According to the National Road Traffic Act, a legal tyre must be free of these defects.

3. Rotate regularly
The general rule for tyre rotation is every 8000 – 10000km but diarise to have your tyres rotated and balanced by a reputable fitment centre once every six or seven months. If you see uneven tyre wear or feel a “shudder” when driving, get them checked straight away.
Doing these three simple checks, will give longevity to your tyre, reduce the likelihood of failures due to damage and will ensure your vehicle performs as it should on the road.

Driving with worn or unsafe tyres could also result in your insurer rejecting your claim. “In the event of an accident, if your tyres are not in fit-for-use condition, your insurance claim will be rejected – even if the tyres were not the direct cause of the accident,” says Hennie van Staden, CEO Impac Underwriting Managers. “As part of an insurance contract, the onus of maintaining a roadworthy vehicle is on the vehicle owner. Failure to do so constitutes a breach of contract.”

As our President said, “We all have a right to safety, and it is up to each of us to create that safety through our own conduct. It is through our individual sense of responsibility that all of us will arrive alive, uninjured and without any infringements, fines or judgements against our names, all of the time.”

For more information, please visit https://www.dunloptyres.co.za/Partwornguidelines