Dubai, United Arab Emirates — One of the major subjects of UAE truck safety is tyre safety. Truck tyre debris is a common sight on UAE roads. This means danger to the trucks itself, but also to oncoming traffic.
For the 2nd time this year, Integrated Transport Centre (ITC) in Abu Dhabi, Al Masaood, Bridgestone and RoadSafetyUAE came together to improve the awareness for tyres among truck drivers and to express gratitude for the hard work of truck drivers. In the second week of November, the event which happened in the 2nd week of November is the second in a series of such events to be held by the campaign partners.
The aggregate total of both campaigns held at Abu Dhabi’s Mussafah truck weighing station saw a total of 640 truck tyres checked, with 3% showing dangerous levels of under-inflation and 6% of over-inflation. Even more dangerous, 5% of tyres were damaged and 8% of tyre valves were not even accessible. Tyre rotation (from front to back and left to right) can play an important role in extending the life time of a tyre and 46% of tyres need this kind of re-mounting. Valves are vital to keep tyres pressurized and valve caps are crucial to prevent valves to malfunction, hence the surveyed 44% of missing valve caps are unsatisfactory.
In addition to the tyre checks, more than 150 truck dr
ivers have received goody-bags as appreciation and have been given tire safety awareness sessions about the importance of properly inflated tyres, the connection of tyre pressure to load, speed, increased outside temperature and the resulting inside tyre temperature, what kind of precaution drivers have to take to avoid the tyre blast and much more.
Salah Adib, General Manager, Al Masaood Tyres, Batteries and Accessories Division states: “Al Masaood is a leading player in Abu Dhabi’s automotive sector, and we have taken this initiative as a logical extension of our business to help address some of the day-to-day road safety challenges that drivers in the Emirate face. The quality and use of a tyre plays a significant role in fuel consumption and truck emissions due to its rolling resistance. The effectiveness and road handling of tyres, and therefore their safety, performance, ride comfort, and stability on loose or wet roads is influenced not only by their age and wear and tear, but also by inflation pressure. With the correct inflation pressure, tyres will work better, wear less and improve vehicle fuel consumption as result of a lower rolling resistance.”
Stefano Sanchini, Regional Managing Director, Bridgestone Middle East and Africa: ” Maintaining regular tyre checks can improve safety and reduce vehicle downtime, while also improving vehicle performance. With our second tyre safety campaign, we consistently strive to increase fleet and mobility performance for our customers and partners while contributing to the safety of the transportation industry through actionable and data-driven insights. Regular inspections improve both safety and profitability, especially when it comes to off-road tyres and rims/wheels, which need to be maintained by operators before each shift. We believe that through such initiatives, the industry will be better able to educate drivers and technicians on the regulations governing truck tyre inspections. By doing so, we continue to encourage fleet owners, operators, and other industry personnel to promote safety in the industry.”
Thomas Edelmann, Founder & Managing Director of RoadSafetyUAE adds: “Truck, truck tyres and truck drivers’ safety are obviously key components of UAE’s road safety. Hence, we are delighted with the commitment of ITC Abu Dhabi, Al Masaood and Bridgestone in this campaign series. It is vital to check truck tyres on a regular basis, to educate truck drivers and to show them our appreciation for their hard work.”
