Conditions of Vehicle Tyres on Nigerian Roads—Better Road Safety Data for Better Safety Outcomes

Abstract

: Tyre related crashes accounted for 8.38%, 9.24%, 7.40%, 7.24%, 6.73%, 6.10% of total crashes on Nigerian roads in year 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 respectively, making appraisal of conditions of tyres very crucial. Data on the use of tyres in the country are not available hence, the need to conduct a survey on this aspect. The aim of the research is to collate data to assess the conditions of tyres for informed decision on road safety. The objectives are to ascertain the level of awareness on tyre usage and identify the condition of tyres being used. Questionnaires were administered to private, commercial and government drivers nationwide by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). A total of 124,510 tyres on 30,242 vehicles were checked. Forty percent (40%) of the total tyres were expired out of which 44% were for commercial vehicles. Thirty percent (30%) of total tyres surveyed had correct pounds per square inch (PSI) as many of the tyres were either under or over inflated. Sixty-five percent (65%) of the tyres met thread depth of 1.6 mm while 8% of the tyres had bumps. Twenty-three percent (23%) of the drivers are unaware of tyre information. FRSC used this in developing strategies to educate the public on better usage of tyres.