According to reports, second-hand tyres can cause road fatalities.Photo by Thabo Monama
DESPITE a dramatic 48% decrease in the number of road fatalities over Easter, Minister of Transport Blade Nzimande revealed that the incidence of burst tyres doubled over the same period.
The department’s 2019 Easter Road Safety Campaign preliminary report released last week indicated that burst tyres were the main cause of road accidents.
Responding to this trend, Chairman of the South Africa Tyre Manufacturing Conference, Darren Hayes-Powell, said: “The release of these statistics is worrying.
“Suffering car tyre blowouts can be a horrifying experience. It can also be potentially fatal, even for an experienced motorist.”
Nzimande said passenger vehicles and light delivery vehicles were to blame for most crashes.
- Drivers should be on the lookout for: The sale of second-hand tyresUnregulated sales of second-hand tyres pose a risk to the buyer and other road users. One of the main outcomes from this practice is re-grooved tyres, which are illegal in Mzansi. Although these tyres may appear to be in a good condition, the internal structure may be compromised.
- Tyres more than six years old should be replaced, regardless of their tread or how many kilometres they have driven. Repaired tyresThe repair of tyres is unregulated in Mzansi, and often results in poor quality and unsafe tyres made available to road users. Buy new tyres from a reputable dealer.) Under-inflated tyresUnder-inflated tyres are the main cause of blowouts. When tyre pressure is too low, the tyre’s surface area touches the road more often, resulting in increased friction, land eading to overheating and blowouts.
- On newer cars, the recommended tyre pressure is listed on a sticker inside the driver’s door or the owner’s manual. Balding tyresThese not only cause the car to skid in wet weather, but also leads to punctures.
