Public urged to be vigilant on tyres

KAMPALA - The general public has been advised to be more observant on manufacture dates when purchasing tyres for their vehicles.

The call was made by Police Director in charge Traffic and road safety, Dr. Steven Kasiima, at a stakeholders meeting between the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) and tyre traders at the Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI).

According to Kasiima, averagely 120 accidents due to tyre bursts are recorded by Police annually but said that this number is lower since most of the bursts are never reported to Police. He said about 3,000 accidents were recorded and 124 were as a result of tyre bursts during last year.

He said he came to know about characteristics of tyres during the national road safety week in Tanzania last year and it was his first time to know that tyres have expiry dates.

"If someone in my capacity did not have that information, what about a boda boda rider?" wondered Kasiima.

UNBS is carrying out sensitization to ensure that the tyres on the market are safe for motorists to use.