Tyre

A new product capable of preventing vehicles from skidding in the event of a tyre puncture has been launched in Accra.
Known as Protectall tyre bands, the aluminium bands are fitted to the two front wheels of a car’s rig to prevent deflated wheels from skidding off the road and resulting in accidents.
At the launch, Mr Mike Aggrey, the Country Director of AutoProtect Limited, producers of Protectall tyre bands, said a puncture or a sudden deflation of tyres often caused accidents on the roads.
He said irrespective of one’s driving skills, a puncture could be fatal and without effective steering control the lives of passengers or fellow road users could be at risk.
He said the bands increased steering, braking and cornering control during such incidents, which enable drivers to bring their vehicles to a halt.
With the Protectall tyre bands, he said, drivers could travel up to 25 kilometres to a safe place before stopping to change their deflated tyres.
The Deputy Minister of Road and Transport, Mrs Dzifa Attivor, also said any initiative that had the potential to contribute to the reduction and prevention of road accidents would be supported by the ministry.
She said a study commissioned by the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) in 2007 on the theme, “The Impact of Home Used Tyres on Road Traffic Accidents in Ghana” revealed that tyre blow-ups contributed three to four per cent to road accident statistics.
She said tyres were the only contact between the body of the vehicle and the ground and it was essential that vehicle stability during blow-ups became of paramount importance to motorists.
She was of the hope that the tyre bands would add another dimension to the country’s National Road Safety Strategy and would also contribute significantly to the reduction and prevention of tyre-related road accidents in the country.