The most important checks on a tyre are pressure, sidewall condition and tread block conditionAustralian drivers are putting themselves and others at risk by ignoring four crucial components of their vehicles: their tyres. In a recent independent study1 by Kumho Tyre Australia, it was discovered that less than 5% of drivers check their tyre pressure when filling up at the bowser.
Over the course of three days, cars were observed refuelling at a petrol station in Sydney’s North West. Of the 360 vehicles that bought petrol from 8am until 11am, only 16 (4.4%) checked their tyre pressure.
The study revealed the worst offenders were commercial vehicle drivers, none of whom checked their vehicle tyre pressure during the three-day survey period.
“For a vehicle category that spends such a significant amount of time on the road, to avoid the air hose altogether is a very alarming finding,” said David Basha, spokesperson at Kumho Tyre Australia. “Commercial vehicles which spend more time on the road than most should be very conscious about their tyre health.”
Kumho recommends checking your tyre pressure at every second visit to the petrol station where possible. Regularly checking pressure could save Australian drivers thousands of dollars on new tyres and fuel, with the correct tyre pressure-reducing road wear on the rubber. Correct pressure also offers better handling as low pressure could mean loss of control in extreme cases. Low pressure causes heavy wear, poor cornering and braking and, in extreme cases, blowouts.
“It was disappointing, but not unexpected that so few drivers were checking their tyre pressure,” explained David. “Australians need to realise the risks associated with low tyre pressure. Car fatalities for the first four months of this year actually increased compared to the same period last year, so it’s in our best interest to ensure every aspect of the car is in the safest and best working condition possible – including tyres.”
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1: The raw survey data is available on request and further details about future data collections by Kumho are planned. This survey was conducted w/c 24/06/2014 at Shell Petrol 3/4 Century Circuit, Baulkham Hills NSW 2153.
2: Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics 2015