The Italian motorist is less and less attentive to the general condition of his car. In particular to tire wear, thus jeopardizing safety. This is what emerges from the data collected in the seventeenth edition of “Safe Holidays”. The investigation conducted on Italian roads by Polstrada agents in collaboration with Assogomma.
In recent months, nearly 13,500 vehicles have been checked in Lombardy, Emilia Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Basilicata, Campania and Sicily. The data collected and processed on the model of the Polytechnic of Turin are not encouraging: on the total number of cars checked. One in three had some problems. Two years of pandemic, economic recession and war show a strongly negative sign on the turnover of the car fleet and on the maintenance of the car.
The importance of checking our cars
The checks focused on the condition of the tires and their possible failures and irregularities. The correct homologation, the correspondence of the dimensional parameters with those reported in the registration certificate and the presence of cuts visible to the naked eye, the depth of the tread (by law it must be at least 1.6 mm). “The survey data confirms that with the age of the vehicles also the missing revisions increase. Tire damage and unevenness per axle. In other words, the older a vehicle, the greater its non-conformities. Smooth tires, on the other hand, are a constant that averages 9% for all ages of controlled vehicles ”.
Thus, explains the Director of Assogomma Fabio Bertolotti presenting the results of the survey. Vehicles under the age of ten have tire problems (including non-inspection) in one in four checks. For vehicles over ten years old, the percentage rises to 40% of the sample, that is two out of five cars.
“Safe holidays” 2022: Italian cars are in worse condition
Furthermore, non-conformities relating to tires alone have increased. Almost one hundred thousand vehicles have been checked with Vacanze Sicure since 2011. In 2011, out of every ten cars checked there was one with non-compliant tires, today there are three and a half. “It is clear that the incentives are not sufficient to stimulate the renewal of the fleet in circulation. This continues to age because Italians do not have sufficient economic resources. Therefore it is necessary to provide incentives for the maintenance of vehicles. Especially with particular attention to the fundamental safety devices, such as tires and brakes. In recent months there has been talk of the introduction of a bonus for the purchase of class A or B car tires. Then this facility was withdrawn due to lack of funds but at the same time the Government undertook to grant these incentives. We hope that this promise will be honored as soon as possible in the interest of all ”.