Two people were killed and five were seriously injured after a 4X4 car veered off the Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Road and ploughed into a group of people offering Maghreb prayers near the Dubai-Sharjah border.
In Abu Dhabi, a bus overturned after its rear tyre burst. Six people, including an elderly, sustained minor to serious injuries.
These shocking incidents happened a year ago and could have been avoided if the drivers did not lose control of the vehicles after a tyre burst, according to the police.
Tyres are the only part of the vehicle that comes in direct contact with the road's surface. Authorities, as well as road safety experts and the media, have been constantly reminding motorists to regularly check their tyre pressure, balance, alignment and tyre condition before hitting the road.
Having a flat tyre in the middle of the road is no fun; worse, a tyre burst can lead to injuries and death - but accidents can definitely be prevented. "Regular tyre check is a must, especially during hot summer months when tyre burst has been found to be one of the major causes of road accidents," Kenneth Arnold, general manager of ZDegree, a Dubai-based automotive maintenance company, told Khaleej Times.
"Vehicles in the UAE have to deal with a harsh climate, including the hot rays of the sun. That's why tyres in the region should bear approval and certification from the Gulf Standards Organisation before they can be utilised safely," he added.
Lt Saud Al Shaiba, director of the awareness department at the Sharjah Police, also said that in the last two years, several people were killed or had serious injuries due to accidents caused by faulty tyres.
"During summer, the temperature sometimes reaches up to 50 degrees, which heats up road surfaces and then causes the old and worn-out tyres to burst in the highways and lead to horrific accidents," Al Shaiba said.
Although the weather now is cool, authorities said inspection and awareness campaigns should happen throughout the year. The Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology also has an ongoing campaign to reduce the proliferation of non-certified tyres in the UAE by introducing radio-frequency identification (RFID) tagging. RFID enables manufacturers to identify, track and manage tyres from the production to distribution process. More importantly, it is the utmost responsibility of car owners to check their tyres before they start the engine and hit the road.
angel@khaleejtimes.com
Digital monitoring ensures tyre safety
In December 2017, a Germany-based tyre company, in cooperation with RoadSafetyUAE, rolled out an 'intelligent system' for monitoring commercial and fleet service tyres. The smart device can send out signals to the driver and the company to manage its fleet by setting up limits on road travel, giving alerts on tyre condition and monitoring tyre pressure.
The move came on the heels of a bus-truck collision on a Dubai road in May that year, where seven people died and 35 others were injured after a bus tyre burst.
Juan Uruburu Alonso, head of sales of Continental Middle East, said the horrific accident could have been avoided because technology can now monitor tyre condition.
"By continuous pressure and temperature monitoring, we can prevent under-inflation, flat tyres and, worse, blowouts," said Alonso.
Alonso said a sensor is attached to the tyre and it sends signals to the driver. Data are collected to provide information on tyre condition. This constant monitoring could eventually extend the life span of a tyre and even reduce fuel consumption.
He added that in the Middle East, 54 per cent of measured trucks and trailers are under-inflated.
Know the law
Motorists caught driving with unsafe tyres are fined Dh500, given four traffic points and vehicle confiscated for one week.
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