I was recently travelling along Emirates Road and while looking out of my window, I saw something that worried me extremely. The vehicle next to me had a rear tyre condition that made it absolutely unworthy of being on the road.
A considerable part of the outer portion of the vehicle’s rear tyre was torn. It is the softest part of the tyre and when it is damaged, the risk of the tyre bursting is very high.
UAE laws state that vehicles must undergo the relevant inspections annually, however some people find their way around these regulations. Due to my background in the transport industry, I have heard of some tyre shops in Sharjah, Ajman and Dubai that provide proxy tyres to customers to allow them to get their vehicles passed. Once the vehicle passes and is registered, vehicle owners return the tyres and put back their old ones. Through this, motorists save thousands of dirhams and the shop owner earns additional revenue.
Especially during the summer, when temperatures are soaring, I have seen many accidents and breakdowns on our highways due to tyre bursts and failures. Some accidents of this nature can prove fatal, while others can cause injuries and long traffic jams.
In spite of repeated reminders from the authorities and countless other awareness campaigns that run every year to educate the road users, we still see instances like these. If the tyres burst, the vehicle is sure to lose control, and at high speeds, colliding with other vehicles on the road is very likely.
The authorities cannot be held responsible for this, simply because it is impossible for them to go around and check each and every car for defects after the vehicle is registered.
The blame I place here is predominantly on the motorist who owns the vehicle. Damage is often very clear and so changing tyres appropriately is their responsibility.
The reader is a regional parts manager in a transport company in Dubai.
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