Keeping the wheels of industry turning
Issue: Autumn 2009
Tyre safety continues to play an important role in fleet safety and efficiency. As the only part of the vehicle in contact with the road surface, tyres play a fundamental role in braking, acceleration, cornering and handling. Without proper care and attention any one of these elements can be compromised, endangering the life of both the driver and other road users.
By Stuart Jackson
However, despite the excellent work being carried out by TyreSafe, these important tyre safety messages still fail to be recognised by a large number of fleets and other road users with devastating consequences. In 2007, defective, under-inflated or illegal tyres were a contributory factor in the death of 43 motorists in the UK and played a part in a further 984 accidents.
Within the HGV sector, VOSA reported that ‘condition of tyres’ was the second most common reason for vehicles failing their MoT test.
Duty of care
Correct tyre maintenance is not only a moral responsibility of fleets and commercial vehicle operators, but a legally binding one as well. Fleet operators have a duty of care to their drivers and must ensure that they are provided with a safe working environment, which includes the provision of safe and roadworthy vehicles. This is enforced by the Health and Safety Offences Act, which came into effect in January 2009 and gives UK courts greater authority to prosecute businesses for committing offences such as fitting illegal tyres. In line with this tougher legislation, the maximum penalty has now increased from £5,000 to £20,000.
Fleet costs and efficiency
In addition to the financial penalties that may be incurred from any duty of care neglect, fleets who do not take care of their tyres may experience other increased costs and inefficiencies. If tyres are not kept at their correct pressure they will wear unevenly and will need changing prematurely. Worse still, under-inflated tyres heat up more quickly than correctly inflated tyres and in extreme cases, can cause rapid tyre failure. This can then lead to lengthy roadside delays, impacting significantly on delivery performance with possible penalty payments for missed delivery slots.
Depending upon the level of damage caused by the tyre failure, vehicles could end up being kept off the road for a number of days, potentially affecting the capacity of the fleet significantly. Not only do under-inflated tyres cause premature wear, but they also impact negatively on fuel efficiency. One leading tyre manufacturer and member of TyreSafe calculated that if a tyre is under-inflated by 10psi, fuel consumption increases by 2.5%. With fleets continually examining how they can reduce their operating cost per kilometre, tyre pressures should be one of the key areas to be monitored closely.
Tyre safety month
To help raise awareness of these important tyre safety issues, the tyre industry, the garage trade, fleet operators and many other organisations are uniting throughout October to support tyre safety month. To take part in this campaign, visit the TyreSafe website or call: 0845 301 6852. A wide range of campaign materials are available free of charge to participating companies.
Further information
To help commercial fleet operators understand the issues and law relating to truck tyre safety, TyreSafe has developed a dedicated section on its website featuring a series of tips, advice and best practice to keep vehicles safe and legal. In addition, a truck tyre safety leaflet is available by requesting a copy through the ‘contact us’ section of the website.
Stuart Jackson is Chairman of TyreSafe.
For further information, contact TyreSafe on Tel: 0845 301 6852 or visit: www.tyresafe.org
Published: 05/10/2009
