Holidays, almost 9% of cars run on slick tyres: risks include aquaplanig

Slick tyre alarm: 2024 is considered the black year for smooth tyres. As part of the checks linked to the Vacanze Sicure 2024 campaign promoted by the State Police with the support of Assogomma, it emerged that in Italy almost 9% of cars circulate with slick tyres. A very worrying figure for road safety. Approximately half of the cars were found to be equipped with high-performance winter tyres for driving on snow in summer. Six out of every 100 cars have visibly damaged tyres, five out of every 100 uneven, two out of every 100 non-compliant. In addition, 27 out of every 100 cars were found to have non-compliant and untested tyres.

"Inspections carried out by the Traffic Police more than twenty years ago,' recalls State Police deputy superintendent Antonio Vetrone in a video interview with Il Sole 24 Ore, 'brought to light the phenomenon of smooth tyres, listing them in around 10 per cent of vehicles on the road. A percentage that had progressively decreased until it reached its lowest level in 2013 with 2.7 per cent. Within a decade, the phenomenon had shrunk by 73 per cent, from 10 cars per 100 to less than 3 cars per 100. Since the following years, this percentage of smooth tyres has reversed the trend and now stands at around 9 per cent for the past four years. Unfortunately, we have practically returned to the levels of twenty years ago." On the issue of the increase in the number of cars with smooth tyres, for Fabio Bertolotti, director of Assogomma, "we need to intervene with measures to promote vehicle maintenance. It is of little use to encourage the purchase of new generation vehicles if the advantages they offer cannot be maintained over time".

M hat are the risks of driving on smooth tyres? A smooth tyre on a wet surface lengthens the braking distance and alters the normal behaviour of the vehicle. "This is because," explains Deputy Vetrone, "in the case of smooth tyres, the grooves in the tread are unable to perform their function of evacuating the water on the road surface. And the phenomenon of aquaplaning can be triggered: the moving vehicle floats on a layer of water, causing the tyre to lose its grip on the asphalt and the vehicle to lose control. It is a dangerous situation that can be the cause or concomitant cause of road accidents'.

The inspections also revealed a constant ageing of the vehicle fleet: in Italy some 41 million cars will be registered in 2023, with an average age of 12 years and 8 months. 59% of the cars on the road are over 10 years old and almost 10% are over 30 years old.

Assogomma, as part of the 'Tyres Under Control' campaign, calls for proper tyre maintenance. Go periodically to a professional tyre specialist and avoid using non-specialists. Have your tyres inflated by a tyre specialist to the nominal pressure indicated in the vehicle manufacturer's owner's handbook, if possible once a month and always before a long journey. Always have the wear limit checked (not less than 1.6 mm for cars). In the event of visible damage (such as bumps, cuts, herniations, etc.) visit the tyre specialist quickly and have the tyres replaced. Drive preferably with a specific set of tyres, suitable for the season. The use of tyres not suited to the weather conditions can lead to a deterioration in performance with possible effects on safety and wear.