The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has said the use of fake and worn out tyres including excess speed are major causes of road crashes on Nigerian highways.
The Corps Public Education Officer (CPEO), Mr Bisi Kazeem, who briefed newsmen on Friday in Abuja, said tyres were an essential component in a vehicle that must not be taken for granted.
“That is why the Corps always advises every vehicle owner to patronise only genuine tyres and always ensure the tyres in their vehicles are in good working condition.
“The fact is that most drivers do not only use fake tyres but use them until they are completely worn out before they change them.
“That reduces the traction which most often leads to crashes, especially during the rainy season as a result of slippery surfaces,” said Kazeem, an Assistant Corps Marshal (ACM).
He said FRSC had collaborated with the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and National Automobile Design and Development Council (NADDC) to get rid of fake and substandard tyres capable of causing road crashes.
Kazeem said that the collaboration became necessary since it was not within the FRSC mandate to go to sellers and check the standards of all tyres.
This, he said, brought about the need to seek SON’s
According to him, the collaboration and eventual clampdown on dealers will put an end to importation and sale of fake tyres in the country.
He said FRSC had religiously sustained the tempo on advocacy and other enlightenment approaches, including conducting motor park rallies, to create the necessary awareness.
The FRSC official said that the corps was also involved in carrying out enforcement through conventional and special patrol operations and mobile court sessions to apprehend and sanction offenders, appropriately.
“Apart from the collaboration with SON and NADDC, the Corps, having noted the adverse effects of driving with fake, worn out, or expired tyres and the dangers they could cause to the motoring public.
“This is the reason the Corps engaged in aggressive awareness campaign targeting both private car owners and commercial drivers.
“These enlightenment campaigns always precede enforcement because the corps believes that proper enforcement cannot be achieved without enlightenment.
“We, first of all, put the motoring public in the know about the dangers of fake tyres and how they have led to many crashes on our roads before deploying our team to enforce compliance,’’ he said.
The CPEO noted that every tyre’s date of manufacture was boldly written on its surface, urging that every buyer should check the side carefully for expiry date.
He said that tyres were supposed to last for only four years effect from the day of manufacture, saying that was why the FRSC advised motorists to always check the date of manufacture before purchase.
According to him, you will see an inscription reading DOT alongside four numbers indicating the week and year of manufacture of that tyre.
“For example, DOT 1320 meaning; the tyre was manufactured in the 13th week of the year 2020.
“When you see that, note that the first 2 numbers indicate the week of manufacture while the last 2 represent the year in which the tyre was produced.
“The expiration date, therefore, is four years and it clearly written in all tyres.
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