New Delhi, 7 June — The Tyre Care & Safety programme by Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA) touched a new benchmark during FY24 with one of the widest footprint of tyre safety activities across the country. Over 12000 participants from school children to motorists to commercial vehicle drivers were directly reached out by ATMA through more than 100 activations for creating awareness on the importance of tyres in overall road safety. ATMA was ably assisted in this programme by its technical arm Indian Tyre Technical Advisory Committee (ITTAC), the national technical body entrusted with creating standards for tyres in the country.
The mega outreach exercise included dedicated programmes for Government Departments and Public Sector, Academia including Schools and Colleges, Corporates and General Public.
The role of well-maintained tyres in overall road safety cannot be over emphasized. After all, tyres are the only point of contact with the road. Tyre safety drives by ATMA & ITTAC are a step towards sensitizing motorists with a view to make road journeys safer, said Arnab Banerjee, Chairman ATMA.
There are several benefits of well-maintained tyres including efficient braking, good ride and handling and fuel economy. Worn out tyres are a big safety hazard. The accelerated Tyre Care & Safety drive during the year brought about the desired awareness on tyre care and maintenance which is a must today as speeds have increased on the highways but mindsets towards tyres have not changed, said Sudershan S Gusain, Chairman, ATMA Safety & Awareness Group.
In one of the most abiding partnerships aimed at creating awareness on the vital aspect of tyre safety, ATMA and ITTAC collaborated with Indian Oil (IOCL) for an in-depth tyre safety training of oil tanker drivers. Over 800 commercial drivers linked to IOCL supply chain in the states of Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra participated in the in-depth tyre safety training programme and benefitted from the interactive session with experts.
Commercial drivers engaged in transportation across several other Government departments including State Express Transport Corporation, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation (RSRTC), Delhi Police and Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT ) also underwent training.
The trainees were trained on several aspects including tyre and its structure, tyre markings and steps to maintain tyres in the interest of safety and prolonging tyre life through presentations and practical training/ demonstration. This was perhaps the first time that commercial drivers in such large numbers underwent tyre safety training.
ATMA recommenced its School Connect programme during the year. Tyre & Road safety sessions were held at nearly 42 schools in the Delhi NCR region reaching out to 9000 school children. During these sessions, children participated in games and role plays aimed at creating awareness about road signs and traffic rules. Similarly, students of 15 colleges across 12 cities in the country were reached out during this exercise.
To further strengthen Industry-Academia partnership in enhancing road safety in the country, a Tyre Care and Road Safety Ideathon for college students was held on the side lines of Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2024 for generation of new ideas.
Students from several colleges including MIT Chennai, VIT Vellore, KCC College Ghaziabad & Satyug Darshan College, Faridabad participated and presented unique and innovative ideas on Road and Tyre Safety.
Safar Suraksha, Sustainable Inbuilt Protective Coating for Sidewall, Self Healing Polymer & Guard Grip were some of the concepts presented by students which were well appreciated.
Corporates that collaborated with ATMA/ ITTAC for crucial insights on Tyre Care and Maintenance during the year included Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Maruti Suzuki, Ashok Leyland, Bharat Benz and Tata Motors.
During the year, a mega Tyre Care & Safety Drive was held at the newly built Samruddhi Mahamarg, Maharashtra in collaboration with Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). Certified engineers of ATMA member companies undertook a free tyre health check at Indian Oil Petrol Pump on the Nagpur entry point of the Samruddhi Mahamarg. Motorists and commercial drivers were briefed on tyre maintenance besides distribution of specially designed safety booklets. Over 1000 tyres of cars/ SUVs and nearly 1000 tyres of commercial vehicles were surveyed.
Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2024 provided another platform to highlight the importance of tyres. Quiz Competitions, Detect-the-Tyre-Defect and Car Tyre changing activity were a major attraction at the ATMA Stall at the Expo.
The momentum on tyre safety awareness has continued during the current year too. It is encouraging to note that several organisations from both Government and private sectors are coming forward to collaborate with ATMA/ ITTAC for tyre safety sessions. We are completely aligned with the road safety mission of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India and are committed to make roads safer, added Sudershan.
