Safe Holidays 2023, Polstrada checks tyres: here’s what’s revealed July 25, 2023 10

Tires they are the main element for car safety. Apparently, however, in Italy almost 18 out of 100 cars are driven with non-standard tires. Here’s what comes from a recent poll.”Safe holidays 2023″created by Stradale Police, Assogomma and Federpneus. Specifically between May and June and in the regions of Piedmont, Valle d’Aosta, Veneto, Tuscany, Marche and Puglia, 8 865 cars checked.

The study sample has a work experience of 8 years and 10 months, while the average experience of the Italian fleet is currently 12 years and 6 months. These 6 regions with 37 provinces have more than 12,539 million vehicles in circulation, accounting for 31.2% of the total vehicles in the country.

Looking at the test results immediately, we find that 7 out of 100 cars had slick tires. However, there are profound differences between the regions, ranging from 3.72% in the Marche to 10.70% in Apulia. Later, about 3 out of 100 vehicles tested had damaged or non-homologated tires. This is a result without significant differences compared to previous years, indeed an improvement in terms of homologation.

In this regard, it should be remembered that since 2012, a device has been installed on newly registered cars that warns of problems with tire inflation. If the percentage of non-approved tires is decreasing, it is because in 2010 the rules of the road were adjusted by prohibiting not only the circulation, but also the production, sale and storage of non-approved tires, with severe penalties for violators.

Go ahead, about 8 cars out of 100 (7.65%) had heterogeneous equipment. By “non-homogeneous equipment” we mean vehicles equipped with tires of different brands or models on the same axle or with two winter and two summer tires. The first is prohibited by the Rules of the Road, the second is clearly not recommended by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, as well as tire manufacturers.

The study shows that if cars found with non-standard tires are added to those that do not meet the inspection requirements, the number of non-compliant cars rises to 25 out of 100. The study adds that the number of non-compliances increases with the age of the car.

In particular, in cars under 10 years old, about one in five (17.59%) have non-compliant tires or lack of inspection. The same indicator for cars older than 10 years rises to 1 out of 3, i.e. about 30%. In other words, in Italy cars don’t change and get less and less serviced over time. Before, Fabio Bertolottidirector Assogomma, explains:

One fact seems clear and has remained the same for many years, and the data confirms this: there is a direct relationship between the age of cars and the conditions for their maintenance. The more years pass, the more tires become damaged or mismatched, while the percentage of slicks is almost constant, always very high after the first 4 years of registration. In Italy, cars are not changed, so they age without proper maintenance. It is clear that the incentives to buy new cars have prevented the modernization of the fleet of cars in circulation, and the economic difficulties that the country is facing do not contribute to the necessary maintenance that affects the safety and traffic on our roads. Our institutions must take note of this and act accordingly. Therefore, it is important to use forms of vehicle maintenance incentives, focusing on those devices that are particularly important for road safety, such as tires.

Based on the analyzed sample of cars, the study estimated that out of 40 million cars in circulation in Italy, 8 million may have non-standard tires.

Then Asogomma and Federpneus wanted to share some simple but useful safe travel tipsespecially now that many Italians are away for the summer holidays.

Fundamental Check tire pressure and inflation regularlyrespecting the values ​​set by the manufacturer. The check should be carried out in cold weather at least once a month and before long journeys. In addition, it is very important periodic check which allows you to identify any problems with the tire. Car tire tread must have a minimum thickness of 1.6 mm in accordance with the requirements of the Rules of the Road. Finally, it’s important choose the right tires for your vehicle that has the specifications originally approved by the vehicle manufacturer and listed on the vehicle registration sheet. To check and select new tires, you need to contact professionals.