During my recent stay in the UAE, I led a group of business students through the development of a road safety awareness campaign. Having spent four years investigating fatal traffic incidents in Greater Brisbane (Queensland, Australia), many years ago, it was an interesting review of road safety.
The Emirates have the highest traffic accident death rate in the world, for example, in Dubai, one person dies every 32 hours from some type of road trauma. The rest of the country also has a high death rate on the roads. One area of our investigation that caught my attention was the inordinately high number of single vehicle incidents that apparently involve tire failure.
The Emirates have some of the best roads I have ever seen; Divided roads in excellent condition, multiple lanes, bars to keep the stock of the road, and very illuminated at night. It also has some of the worst drivers and very lax law enforcement. Although the speed limits set on the main roads are 120 km / h, most believe that they can do 140 km / h without being fined for speeding. Many people go much faster.
With money to spend, pitiful oil prices, fast cars and inexperience, it’s a dangerous combination that kills many young Emiratis every year. The combination is even more dangerous when drivers are unfamiliar with tire specifications and maintenance. I am sure that this lack of knowledge about the tires, in addition to speed and lack of experience and attention, is one of the main causes of the many rollovers on perfectly straight and well-designed roads.
Tires have different specifications depending on their use. Those specifications not only include things like tread pattern, style and depth, construction, etc., but more importantly, the maximum sustainable speed at which they can be used for a long ride. duration and maximum weight limitations.
It is estimated that if you buy a tire with a sustainable top speed of 120 km / h, it is not a safe practice to travel long at higher speeds. Since the Emirates is a very hot country with ambient temperatures in the summer months often around or above 50 degrees Celsius, the ability of the tires to withstand high temperatures is also essential.
When purchasing tires for a vehicle, the owner / driver must consider where, how and for how long the vehicle will be used. Getting water dispersing tread patterns in the Emirates would not make sense … it rarely rains, while in those cities with a lot of rain, it makes a lot more sense. What is needed for the Emirates is a tire that will withstand high speed driving on very hot roads for at least three to five hours straight. While the load capacity of a tire is not that important (they are generally over-specified) on sedans, on a light truck it should be factored into the purchase decision. Also, loads placed on light trucks must be adjusted to the capacity of the tires. No overload.
The next important considerations are tire inflation and wheel alignment. Incorrect wheel alignment will cause the tires to wear unevenly and is usually a money-wasting issue by reducing tire usage rather than a safety issue (unless the tire goes bald ). However, tire pressure is critical.
Tire and motor vehicle manufacturers specify inflation pressure for tires, usually at varying loads. In addition to wearing tires faster if they are too inflated or too low, tubeless tires can also slip off the rims if they don’t have enough air pressure. With too much air pressure, tires can explode or develop weak spots in the tire walls. Eventually these can fail and cause the tires to explode, collapse, or completely disintegrate.
Since tires are what prevent a vehicle from skidding and provide traction, it is not rocket science to suggest that they are an integral part of overall road safety. Poor tire selection, improper use, and poor maintenance can lead to disasters.
If only we could get Emirati drivers to pay more attention to the selection, maintenance and use of their tires, the lives of many people could be saved annually. But, as I discovered so many years ago, changing people’s attitudes is very difficult, even when it means saving their lives.
How long has it been since you checked your tire pressure?
Copyright 2008, Robin Henry