This graphic produced by Bridgestone serves to highlight tyres as a vehicle’s primary safety feature due to the fact that, unlike any other safety component, they are in direct contact with the road surface.

Surveys carried out by Bridgestone SA on trucks, busses and passenger vehicles have revealed a frightening disregard for tyre safety – and the worst culprits are in the trucking arena. So says Marcus Haw, technical tyre expert for Bridgestone South Africa. 

“The reason for this,” he says, “is that users have not been educated in the functional aspects of tyres and don’t realise their importance. Because of this, tyres are seriously neglected and generally overlooked. They are not maintained, are used in a poor condition, are left on vehicles way beyond their safe tread depth limits and are generally abused beyond belief during service.” 

Haw reckons one only has to switch on the radio and listen to traffic reports to realise that the heavy duty vehicle sector is becoming one of the most condemned of all vehicle sectors. “The public see the sector as unsafe and irresponsible due to the high number of accidents being recorded on a daily basis. And when one inspects the tyres on many of the vehicles, a pattern is very evident – the tyres are all in a shocking condition. Many accidents could be avoided if the tyres were taken more seriously.” 

One of the many examples of damaged tyres still in service on rigs pulled off during the FleetWatch Brake & Tyre Watch exercises. This is not uncommon.

On the subject of the role of tyres in the overall safety equation, Haw says tyres are the primary safety feature on any vehicle due to the fact that, unlike any other safety component, they are in direct contact with the road surface. 

“Tyres are the only components that allow total control of the vehicle. They transfer power to the road, allowing the vehicle to move and they transfer braking forces to the road, allowing the vehicle to stop. They also provide the lateral grip needed for directional changes.” 

According to Haw, none of the electronic aids found on modern vehicles can perform to their expected potentials if the tyres are not performing their functions to their designed levels 

“In fact,” he says, “all other components rely on the tyre’s contact with the road to be able to perform their functions. The braking systems need tyre to road contact to stop a vehicle, even if ABS assisted. The steering won’t turn anything without the tyre to road contact. Tyres are a vehicle’s primary safety system yet are seldom, if ever, considered a safety factor by their users.” 

Most concerning, he says, is that little is being done about it. “The authorities are more concerned with speed trapping than policing the roadworthiness of the vehicles on the roads and the truckers are more concerned about their shortterm bottom line than the havoc and tragedy they are causing on the roads.” 

Knowing the situation as it is, Bridgestone South Africa is committed to educating users. “The way tyres are treated is of paramount importance to the way they perform and to the way they last. The way they perform translates directly to the safety of their users, and Bridgestone is committed to educating users for their own safety.” 

For one, the company is involved with FleetWatch in the “Brake & Tyre Watch” project, a hands-on survey initiative highlighting tyre concerns in the trucking industry while also educating traffic authorities in what to look for when it comes to vehicle safety. 

Bridgestone’s ongoing passenger vehicle tyre pressure and condition surveys also serve to highlight tyre problems in the industry and to date over 10 000 tyres have been inspected nationally. The public are continuously educated on tyre safety by the Bridgestone published tyre educational articles in relevant print and online media. 

“A company that produces safety critical products has to take responsibility for the way their products are used to ensure that the safety of their buying public is maintained by the knowledgeable use of the products. And knowledgeable use of a product is never more relevant with any product than with tyres,” concludes Haw.