Tire condition and drivers' practice in maintaining tires in Saudi Arabia

Tire blowouts and tread separation are a very hot safety issue in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Recent statistics compiled by the special forces for road security in the kingdom revealed that in the year 2001, 13% of the traffic accidents they attended to resulted from tire failure. This paper aims to assess the extent to which drivers are aware of the correct procedure for selecting and maintaining tires on their vehicles and evaluate the in-use condition of these tires. This was fulfilled via a field study in which a random sample of vehicles was stopped to check the condition of their tires and at the same time to interview their drivers on tire-related issues. It was concluded that drivers need proper education on how to select, use, and maintain tires. Hopefully, this will reduce the percentage of under-inflated tires and other incorrect practices found in this study.