By Fazeena Saleem
Proper tyre maintenance is an important safety measure often neglected. Tyres are the only contact between the vehicle and the road and importance of their proper maintenance cannot be overemphasised. However, a survey by Bridgestone Corporation, the world’s largest tyre and rubber company, has revealed that only a few people in Qatar check their tyres often.
The survey revealed that 47 percent of Qatari motorists didn’t check their tyres, consequently increasing chances of accidents.
Among those who check their tyres only a small percentage said they did it regularly. As many as 16 per cent respondents checked their tyres once a week and 33 per cent did it every three months.
Asked about the reason for not doing it regularly, most drivers — 19 percent respondents — admitted that they did not know how to do it.
Surprisingly, 57 percent didn’t know what the tread wear indicator wad meant. (Tread wear indicators are bars made of hard rubber lying crossways across the tread. You can’t see them on new tyres, but as the tread wears down, they become visible).
The survey also found that many drivers had no idea about how environment friendly were the tyres they were using.
And as many as 54 percent were unaware of the meaning of ‘tyre rolling resistance’ (Wasted energy as a tyre rolls) and its implications for the environment.
Bridgestone held its third annual ‘Tyre Safety and Eco Station’ (TSES) campaign recently in Doha. The TSES multi-purpose station — on the ground floor of the City Centre Mall — was officially inaugurated by Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim bin Faisal Al Thani, Chairman of Aamal QSC.
Visitors learnt about correct tyre care and maintenance for better road safety. Drivers were shown and practised how to check the proper tyre air pressure and tread wear to avoid the dangers of driving with under-inflated or overinflated and worn-out or damaged tyres.
Children explored fun eco-educational activities in the TSES Kids Area.
“Bridgestone is committed to making the roads in Qatar a safer place for drivers and their families; for this reason we are back with the TSES education campaign for the third consecutive year,” said Deep Rajendran, Manager for Corporate Communications and Training at Bridgestone Middle East & Africa FZE.
“Figures from last year’s survey shows that there is still a lot to do education-wise and this is our purpose. At the Bridgestone TSES, drivers will not only be shown how to check tyres correctly, but will also be encouraged to test what they learn using simple procedures at the stand,” he added.
In a move to reduce road accidents, a 10-year National Road Safety Strategy (NRSS) was launched in Qatar last month.
Ministries and many institutions as stakeholders provide a long-term vision of the mission to reduce road accidents, serious injuries and deaths due to crashes in Qatar.
The strategy is designed to save at least 800 lives and prevent 2,000 serious injuries over the next 10 years.
It lays its foundations for a safe road transport system that will benefit future generations.The Peninsula
