Why tyres are critical to road safety
Your tyres are the only part of your vehicle that touch the road - so all turning, accelerating and braking is wholly dependent on your tyres. Tyres that have poor grip will not be able to turn you as quickly out of danger, or brake as quickly. Tyres with poor grip may lose traction and slip on corners, particularly if you are going fast or turning sharply - putting you, your passengers, other road users and pedestrians in danger.
Tyres lose grip when they are:
- old and worn
- under-inflated - a common probelm if they haven't been inflated for a while, especially if you've been bouncing along rough or uneven roads
- over-inflated - not uncommon for commercial vehicles, especially when they are carrying heavy loads
Your safety on the road is completely dependent on your tyres.
This tiny area is where all the traction, breaking, handling, steering and comfort happens.
Looking after your tyres
As your safety depends on them, you need to make sure that your tyres are correctly inflated and in good condition - and replace them with quality new tyres, like Birla Tyres when they are too worn.
1. Check your tyre pressure regularly
Under-inflated tyres are dangerous, as are over-inflated tyres. Check them regularly, at least once per month.
2. Check your tyres for cuts and wear
When you are inflating your tyres, also check them visually for wear, and for any cuts around the edges. If they are damaged, go to a tyre dealer to see if they need fixing or replacing. If they are worn and the tread is too low, go to a Birla Tyre dealer to get quality replacements.
3. Replace with quality tyres
Good quality tyres are important for your safety, so look for Birla Tyres - there are dealers all over India.
Birla Truck and bus tyres are very strong and can be safely retreaded.
Birla Tyres safety initiatives
Road safety barriers
For many years we've been sponsoring road safety barriers and working with local traffic police - road barriers that protect pedestrians and keep road users safe from dangerous areas of roadway.
Safer driving and riding tips
Even if you have new Birla Tyres, your safety on the road also depends on your own driving behaviour, and your preparedness for the unexpected - unexpected changes to road surfaces or conditions, and unexpected behaviour by other road users.
We at Birla Tyres really do care about all our customers, so here are a few tips for safer travel on India's roads.
General Road Safety
- Don't speed. We all know that we should obey the traffic rules - and the back of every truck reminds us. But that doesn't stop everyone from speeding, or ensure that everyone indicates when they are about to turn a corner. Avoid speeding if you want to stay safe, particularly speeding around corners where it is easy to lose control - particularly if there is a vehicle or bicycle or cow just round the corner that was out of sight when you came into he corner.
- Brake before corners,not going round them. Braking during a turn can cause you to skid out of control and slide off the road or into other vehicles, Brake early so that you can turn the corner in control and accelerate out of the corner if the road is clear.
- Slow down when it's wet.It can take you up to twice as far to brake in very wet conditions, so you need to go much slower to stay safe. And as visibility is reduced in heavy rain, you need to be especially careful in case there are unexpected obstacles, people or animals in the road. There is a particular risk in the rain of hydroplaning - where your tires float across a thin layer of water, meaning that you have no control to turn or slow down. This is a particular problem on worn tyres. The only way to avoid it is to make sure that you slow down on wet roads.
Motorbike and Scooter
Riders and passengers on 2-wheeled vehicles are particularly vulnerable because
- the vehicles are not inherently stable - they can be knocked over sideways
- they have no side protection in a collision
- they are not held in by safety belts or a roof, so tend to fly off in the event of an accident, very often landing on their heads.
So motorbike and scooter riders need to take even more care than other road users. To be safe they should follow the tips above, and in addition:
- Wear helmets - research has shown that many riders and very few pillion passengers in India wear helmets, meaning that they are in great danger of fatal head injuries if there is an accident, even though a motorcycle accident will often not be their fault. If you want to stay safe, and not put your passengers at risk, always wear a helmet and insist that they wear one too. You wouldn't want to feel responsible for them becoming crippled by a head injury.
- Wear protective clothing. If you or your passengers fall off - or are knocked off - your motorcycle or scooter, then they are likely to suffer nasty, potentially disfiguring injuries if they are not wearing protective clothing.
- Look behind - not once but twice every time you start up or manoeuvre. Look behind for traffic, then indicate - then do a 'lifesaver', looking behind again to make sure that it is still clear, and that another bike or vehicle is not coming past at high speed.
- Check your equipment. As a 2-wheeler is inherently less stable and more dangerous than a car or truck, it is even more important that you regularly check the key safety parts of your vehicle - you lights, you brakes, and particularly your tyres.