Tyre burst crashes rise

The Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund of Namibia has warned of an alarming 62% increase of road deaths related to tyre bursts between last year and June this year.Over a six-month period this year, eight people were killed in accidents attributed to a tyre burst, compared to five deaths for the duration of 2017, a statement issued by the MVA noted this week. These fatalities emanated from a total of 42 such crashes related to a tyre burst, with 29 recorded in 2017, and 13 by June this year. “Road crashes are attributed to various factors including the condition of the road and the environment, human behaviour such as fatigue, drunk driving, and inattentiveness as well as the condition of vehicles, including working lights and tyres,” the MVA stated.Because of the high use of vehicles in Namibia, the MVA cautioned that to ensure safety and roadworthiness by conducting daily or weekly checks to spot possible defects before using the vehicle, are crucial.“These checks include the inspection of vehicle tyres as tyre bursts mainly occur due to improper inflation, overloading, low-quality, speeding and natural wear and tear.”The MVA urged drivers to frequently check for signs of wear and tear and replace tyres when necessary, and to check the tyre tread depth in order to ensure optimum traction on the road even in unusual road conditions.Visual inspections of tyres ensure there are no nails or other objects stuck in the tyre that can cause an inflation pressure leak.Lastly, the MVA recommends drivers to ensure routine replacement, alignment and balancing of tyres. Additionally, rotate tyres to aid in the even wear and tear of the tyres.“Amongst all other strategies that are implemented to reduce crashes on our roads, this simple yet important task of inspecting vehicle tyres regularly, can greatly contribute to the reduction of crashes which will ultimately pave the way toward achieving the Decade of Action for Road Safety goal of reducing crashes to 50% by 2020,” the MVA stated.In August, Namibian Sun reported the death of three police officers who died in an accident while travelling towards Omaruru.The cause of the accident was attributed to a tyre burst, which led the driver to lose control over the vehicle, causing it to overturn. Over the same weekend, a one-year-old baby girl died after the driver of a vehicle she and four adults were travelling lost control and overturned the car after a tyre burst. In January, an accident near Katima Mulilo was reported in which four people died. The accident was attributed to a tyre burst. JANA-MARI SMITH

Tyre burst crashes rise

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-07

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Tyre burst crashes rise

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-07

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