Tyres can mean the difference between life and death, or safety versus life-changing injury. This Transport Month, Sumitomo Rubber South Africa, in partnership with the Road Accident Fund (RAF) and the South African Tyre Manufacturers Conference (SATMC), is taking steps to promote safe and considerate road usage while encouraging people to conduct regular health checks on their tyres.
As part of an ongoing partnership between the RAF and the SATMC, a tyre safety workshop was held for around 70 traffic officers from the Ladysmith District. The aim was to equip the officers to better enforce laws and regulations correctly, by knowing how to spot risky or illegal tyres.
At the Sumitomo Training Academy in Ladysmith, SRSA Group Training Manager: Truck & Bus, Keith Phelps, took the law enforcement officers through what to look out for in terms of tyre wear patterns, sidewall damage, retreaded tyres, and more, that could affect the roadworthiness and legality of a tyre. The initiative also included an educational roadblock set up just outside the Road Traffic Inspectorate centre on the N11, Ladysmith, to educate commuters about tyre safety and ensure that they get proper technical information on their tyres. A number of trucks with defective tyres were also stopped.
In providing compensation to the victims of road accidents in South Africa, the RAF knows all too well that poor tyre safety is a critical factor in accidents and carnage on our roads every year. Road users need to know the dangers of operating vehicles with worn or poorly inflated tyres, and traffic departments need to be able to identify and weed out unroadworthy tyres and vehicles.
Prioritise tyre care and safety. Buy reputable tyres. Choose new tyres over second-hand. Inflate tyres correctly. Ensure your tyre tread is above 1.6mm. Carry out wheel alignment, balancing and tyre rotation at recommended intervals.
