Mr Dennis Yeribu, Principal Manager, Planning and Programmes Directorate of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), says about 10 per cent of all road crashes are linked to poor tyre maintenance.

He has therefore advised motorists to observe good tyre maintenance practices to ensure safety on the roads.

Mr Yeribu made the comments on Friday during a “Stay Alive Tyre Safety Campaign,” organised by the NRSA in collaboration with Vulco and supported by the Ghana Police Service.

As part of the exercise, the team performed tyre assessments of about 500 private vehicles plying the Tema Motorway. They also shared tyre safety and management tips with drivers, gave out tyre inflation coupons and embarked on road safety sensitisation.

After carrying out tyre checks, the team informed drivers of their tyre health status and provided them with remedies.

Mr Yeribu said an important component of road safety was the issue of tyres which many road users, unfortunately, paid little attention to.

He said the Tyre Safety campaign would be replicated in other regions of the country, adding that, soon a similar exercise would be organised for public transport.

Mr Yeribu said the data gathered from the exercise would inform future policy directives and targeted education programmes on road safety.

He thanked Vulco and the Police for their assistance and lauded the drivers for their cooperation and availing themselves to receive the education.

The drivers on the other hand, thanked the NRSA for the exercise and for enriching their knowledge on tyre safety.

Mr Shakti Shukla, National Retail Manager of Vulco, said his outfit had observed that about 65 per cent to 70 per cent of the vehicles had winter tyres instead of summer tyres which were best suited for Ghana’s weather condition.

Summer tyres have a dedicated rubber compound that delivers excellent grip and handling on both dry and wet roads in warmer conditions. On the other hand, winter tyres provide outstanding grip on road surfaces covered with snow and ice, as well as wet roads in cold conditions.

He informed that the standard maximum shelf life of tyres was five years but observed that most tyres were overaged and cracked.

The shelf life of a tyre is the time between date of manufacture and period of its road worthiness. This applies to the period before the tire is first used—the period when the tire is kept away in the dark from having direct contact with sunlight or rain.

He advised motorists to purchase tyres that conformed to their vehicle’s Original Equipment (OE), had the correct tyre size, maintain the recommended tyre pressure and check the warranty given by the manufacturer.

The OE are the parts of a car that were fitted at the factory during manufacturing. Only approved OE tyres are fitted to new cars. OE tyres are developed specifically for each make and model of car.

He advised drivers not to fit different tyre sizes on the same axis but to only mount the size specified by the manufacturer.

“To maximize the tire performance, a driver should make an axis rotation every 10,000 kilometres. Drivers should control their tire pressure every 15 days, use manufacturer’s recommended pressure, check the status of valves and place caps on the valves.”

“Elements that impact negatively on the life of tyres include driving at high speed, taking turns too fast and quick stops. The consequences of unbalancing include tyre damage, irregular wear, loss of traction and stability and lack of comfort,” he said.