Brussels, Wednesday, 21st September 2016 - On the occasion of the European Day Without A Road Death, the European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA) is informing drivers on the importance of tyre choice and service conditions to improve road safety across Europe.

For this reason, ETRMA signed the EDWARD's road safety pledge, which also includes the importance of performing safety checks on tyres. In signing the Pledge, Ms Cinaralp, stated "as Secretary General of the Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers' Association, I strongly support this initiative and its pledge. Road safety starts with us, road users, as it is our chief responsibility to do our best to ensure that we are well equipped to take the road, especially with regard to tyres".

Tyres are the only contact point between the vehicle and the road and have a direct impact on the way the vehicle's characteristics translate to the road and its environmental and safety performance.

The EU Tyre Label - which was introduced in 2012 - identifies three vital pieces of information that are crucial for the overall safety and environmental performance of the tyres. Information on the tyre’s wet grip, noise and rolling resistance levels, explain the economic, environmental and safety benefits to the consumer. The better the rolling resistance performance, the lower the CO2 emissions and fuel consumption will be. The wet grip of the tyre has a direct impact on safety - the better the score, the easier it will be for the driver to brake in wet conditions.

These provide the proper information that is needed in order to choose better performing tyres in order to keep European traffic travelling safely.

Fazilet Cinaralp, Secretary General of the ETRMA, said: "Nearly four years after the introduction of the EU Tyre Label, tyre choice is still widely dominated by price considerations. The tyre label remains underused by many consumers. We believe that the uptake and credibility of the label would be enhanced by increasing market surveillance."  

When purchasing new tyres, in particular in this period ahead of the winter season, drivers should be aware that technology is available to maximise performance and safety in winter conditions. On top of this, the use of winter tyres may also be requested by local or national legislation.

Data from a recent industry campaign shows that the use of winter tyres on passenger cars can reduce the number of accidents caused by lack of grip in winter conditions by 46%.

Purchasing the right tyres is only the first step towards improving overall road safety. The majority of the responsibility lies in the hands of the consumers as it is their duty to ensure that they are well maintained. This means ensuring that they are properly inflated, that they do not suffer from damage (bulges, cracks, cracking, sidewall damage) and that they have the right tread depth (at least 1.6mm for passenger car tyres, according to EU regulations). It is recommended that consumers conduct regular visual inspections and take their tyres to an expert should they feel any change in the driving conditions after hitting a curb or a pothole, as the damage could be internal. 

The tyre industry's commitment to tyre safety has again been demonstrated by the launch of the pan-European campaign, TyreAWARE. The campaign was designed to raise awareness of best practices and procedures on tyre maintenance, storage conditions and service for dealers, authorities and consumers.  

TyreAWARE has been developed in collaboration with the European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers' Association (ETRMA) and its members. The materials have been consolidated and translated into 13 European languages and are available to download for free on an interactive microsite (www.tyreaware.org).

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Notes to editor:

The ETRMA is the voice of tyre industry in Europe, with a primary objective of representing the regulatory and related interests of manufacturers at European and international levels.

Along with its members, the ETRMA is committed to reducing environmental impacts from tyres while ensuring high standards for safety-related performance of tyres. The ETRMA continues to encourage consumers thoroughly examine the EU tyre label before committing to purchase a new set of tyres.

For more press information, contact: Marta Conti, m.conti@etrma.org