Renkaiden puutteet kuolonkolareissa (Tyre Defects in Fatal Road Accidents)

摘要

The aim of this study was to investigate the most common faults in the tires of passenger cars and vans, and examine other features of vehicles with defective tyres. The data included fatal accidents in 2000-2006 reported by Finnish road accident investigation teams. The most common faults in tires were as follows: 1. The tread pattern depth in the summer tires of 12% of vehicles was less than the recommended 4 mm but above the legal minimum of 1.6 mm. 2. The studded tires of 10% of vehicles were worn out or studs were missing. 3. The tire pressure of 6% of vehicles was clearly defective. 4. The tread pattern depth in the summer tires of 3% of vehicles was less than the legal minimum of 1.6 mm. Vehicles older than 10 years included these tire faults twice as frequently as newer cars. Forty percent of vehicles older than 15 years had one or more of the listed tire faults. However, these old vehicles would not be considered rattletraps, as other technical faults were only slightly more frequent than normal.