Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems – a Vital Safety Technology
Between 70% and 90% of motorists in the UK admit they never check their car tyre pressures. This is in spite of the fact that tyres are the only contact that a vehicle has with the road surface. Correct tyre pressures are even more important in winter driving conditions and with the recent freezing conditions and heavy snow, correctly inflated tyres with adequate tread depth are vital to remain safe on the road.
Tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), which indicate to the driver when tyres are losing vital pressure, are key pieces of automotive safety technology that will become standard on all new car models introduced across Europe next year*. Yet there has been some reluctance by motorists in the UK to accept the benefits of TPMS according to one of Europe’s leading producers of the technology, Schrader Electronics. “In some quarters, it is being suggested that TPMS is not a replacement for regularly checking your tyres. However, when the right technology is used, and since the vast majority of drivers simply do not check tyre pressure or tread depth, a well designed direct TPMS is so important as it would fully substitute the forgetful consumer, and maybe save his/her life,” said Schrader’s vice president Alfonso Di Pasquale.
A recent study by Schrader underlines the importance of making this affordable life-saving technology mandatory rather than an option. The research revealed a worrying trend that vehicle buyers are neglecting the purchase of safety features such as ESP (electronic stability program) or TPMS, in favour of items such as MP3 connections and other convenience equipment. While these made add extra comfort, they do little to reduce the number of people killed across Europe due to underinflated tyres, currently 1% of all road death fatalities (according to EU’s Task Force Group), equivalent to 30 a year in the UK.
Schrader is urging the EU and vehicle manufacturers to put more effort behind promoting the benefits TPMS offers in reducing these fatalities and the contribution it can make to cutting fuel use and thus CO2 emissions.
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