On Saturday Jan 23, 2010, a single vehicle accident happened in Kamuli involving a Mitsubishi Fuso truck. It was reported that the truck was carrying cargo and about 90 passengers from a weekly market. More than twelve of the passengers were reported dead and several admitted in various medical facilities. The cause of the accident was front (driver’s) side tyre burst.

The tyre that burst was really old and should not have been still in use. On a number of occasions, we do not readily have money to buy a new set of tyres. What we normally forget is that the tyre is your lifeline between life and death. The contact between your car and the road is a small part of the four tyres the size of a post card. Your safety and the way the vehicle handles are more crucial than those four patches you may be postponing to replace.

For purposes of safety, it is advised that tyres are driven for no more than four years from the date of manufacture of the tyre. All tyres have a date of manufacture. This is the best safety mark on the tyre.  While the grooves may seem ok, the rubber used in the manufacture of the tyres has a life span.

While most cars don’t reach the maximum loads designed for the tyres, several trucks go beyond the limits. It is important to load tyres within the limits. The load index is one of the several letters and numbers engraved on all the tyres.  The speed rating, while it is important, considering our roads, it may not necessarily be a priority. Even the lowest speed of passenger vehicles can go up to 120, yet our maximum speed is 100km/h.

As long as your vehicle has tyres that are in good working condition, you will be able to have good fuel economy.  Vehicle life will also be increased. Proper tyre inflation and tyre care are important for the safety of all road users.

It is wrongly assumed that under-inflation creates a comfortable ride. This is false. Under-inflated tyres have a lot of rolling resistance. This causes increased fuel consumption. Chances of an under inflated tyre bursting are higher than a properly inflated tyre.  Under inflated tyres also cause forward drag and steering effect on vehicles. This is a major cause of motor accidents the world over.

Tyre pressure should be periodically checked. It is advised to check pressure on cold tyres.  Very few motorists remember to check their tyre pressure when the tyres are cold. When you check when they are not cold you are taking wrong figures because air expands when heated. There is another problem that several fuel stations where we go for air have machines that are not calibrated. You get the air but with wrong measurements.

While the Traffic & Road Safety Act mentions something about tyres being good, the details of  goodness is in the eyes of the Officer inspecting the vehicle. Other Acts go into detail to include minimum tread depth. That aside, we currently have no policy on using winter tyres. Motor vehicle safety should go beyond what we physically see, and use the right parts.

Comments (8)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Add Comment Preview