Michelin points to importance of tyres in cutting fuel usage

Amazing as it may seem, 75 per cent of accidents occur on straight roads while six out of ten accidents happen in cities and at low speeds.

That’s according to tyre manufacturer Michelin, quoting an analysis of traffic accidents carried out by the Dresden University of Technology which has a chair dedicated to traffic accident research.

Other statistics highlighted by Michelin show that seven out of ten accidents occur on dry roads, 25 per cent take place when cornering, these being the most serious type, while 99 per cent of wet road accidents take place in very shallow water.

Quoted in conjunction with the launch of their latest fuel saving Primacy 3, Energy Saver + and Agilis + passenger car and light commercial vehicles tyre ranges, the company went on to note that one in every five litres of fuel used is accounted for by the rolling resistance of a vehicle’s tyres.

‘It is against this backdrop that Michelin has been actively working since 1992 to improve the energy efficiency of its tyres’ their PR Manager for the UK and Ireland, Paul Cordle said.

In the intervening years, the company has filed some 160 patents as part of their continuing work in producing tyres that increase fuel efficiency. Translating this into savings, Michelin estimates that globally, 15 billion litres of fuel have been saved by drivers over the two decades since their Michelin Energy tyres were first introduced – a figure that equates to an estimated 38 million tonnes reduction in CO2 emissions.

In that period also, the various versions of their energy-saving tyres have been approved more than 190 times by 22 of the world’s leading carmakers.