TYRE SAFETY
Following strenuous campaigning from the industry, Tyred and Frances Molloy in particular, the government announced on 26 February that it will consult on “options to ban older tyres from use on buses, coaches, heavy goods vehicles and mini-buses to help keep road users safe”. The Department for Transport explained that the proposed legislation will make it illegal for these vehicles to run with a tyre aged 10 years or over.
Walsall Wood Tyre & Service, a Falken Tyre specialist based on Hall Lane Industrial Estate, Walsall, held a tyre safety check in December at The Fairlawns Hotel and Spa, in Aldridge, for all staff and patrons. The event at the award-winning independent hotel was the first in a series of safety initiatives within Walsall Wood’s local community.
It is now almost seven years since Michael Molloy with two other passengers (Kerry Ogden and Colin Daulby) lost his young life when their coach crashed on the M25 Motorway (in 2012) due to the failure of a nineteen and half year-old tyre. Michael’s mother Frances Molloy immediately took up the cause of looking to legally ban ageing tyres being fitted to all buses and coaches. Over the following years the Tyred campaign continued to gather momentum, leading to its latest meetings with the UK government. Now the campaign has received the backing of a variety of organisations, including the Liverpool Football Club focused media company, Anfield Wrap.
Continental Tyres has launched a Christmas message to ensure safer driving with the help of RUDOLPH – not the reindeer, but a pneumonic to help the millions of last-minute shoppers, delivery drivers, gig economy couriers, and homeward bound motorists sharing the roads at this time of year.
UK charity TyreSafe has launched a new awareness campaign aimed at “parent chauffeurs.” Noting the statistic that parents are likely to have spent more than 3,000 hours (around 125 days non-stop motoring) driving their children around by the time they reach 20, the Home Safely on Safe Tyres campaign highlights the importance of tyres in minimising the risks to drivers and their young passengers while on the roads. It also emphasises to all drivers entrusted with child care that it is their responsibility to check the condition of their car’s tyres.
Falken Tyre specialist retailer Walsall Wood Tyre & Service has hosted a tyre safety event as part of TyreSafe’s National Tyre Safety month in October 2018. The event was jointly hosted by leading wholesaler and exclusive Falken distributor Micheldever Tyre Services (MTS) with more than 30 guests in attendance throughout the evening.
Commenting on road safety statistics showing that tyres cause more than 1000 casualties and 183 deaths a year, TyreSafe chairman Stuart Jackson lamented the reality that the figures have not gone down during the NTDA Tyre Industry Conference.
Pneumatic Components (PCL), the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of pneumatic and tyre inflation systems, is reminding drivers of the importance of having correctly inflated tyres this Tyre Safety Month (October).
Fleet inspections carried out by Wheely-Safe have found that 39 per cent of the light commercial vehicles (LCVs) it checked were operating on at least one tyre inflated to dangerous levels, posing potential safety risks and driving up operating costs.
Responding to statistics showing that a third of all tyre related incidents occur during the summer months, released as part of TyreSafe’s summer motoring guide, Absolute Alignment advises all motorists holidaying by car to check tyre pressures and wheel alignment before taking to the road. According to the Department for Transport’s data, despite the UK’s cold weather and difficult road conditions from October through to March, it is actually July and August when tyre related accidents are at their most frequent.
In March Quantcast published data suggesting the automotive sector is missing the mark when it comes to communicating with motorists. You might think advertising campaigns focussed on themes such as “road”, “speed” and “fast” come with the territory, but the survey revealed that such clichés are actually shutting out up to half of potential customers. Why? Because such concepts are generally designed to appeal to men, despite growing purchasing power among women. Indeed, UK government data shows that car ownership among women increased 75 per cent in the 20 years up to 2014.
Its summer holiday time and for many this means a long car trip. For some this also means tyre problems – Department for Transport data shows July to be the month when tyre-related incidents are at their highest. Indeed, one third of all tyre-related incidences in the UK occur during the summer months.
Bridgestone has been named Tyre Manufacturer of the Year honour at the TyreSafe Awards 2018. The manufacturer prevailed in the competitive category thanks to a number of safety initiatives and pro-active partnerships, which were noted by a panel of independent judges.
Yokohama has been presented with its third award from TyreSafe, the UK’s tyre safety charity, at its annual dinner. In taking TyreSafe’s Highly Commended Award, Yokohama secured its third consecutive win from the charity, having taken the Tyre Manufacturer Award for the previous two years.
Motorists from Oxford are the unluckiest drivers in the country – picking up the most punctures, dents, scrapes and parking tickets than anyone else, according to a new study. Researchers polled British drivers and discovered that people from the university city, home to Jaguar driving Inspector Morse, consider themselves to have the least luck when it comes to motoring.
