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Online Reporter
A LOCAL company, Protectall Zimbabwe, which recently launched its new road safety device that supports a vehicle tyre in case of a tyre burst will soon start installing the new the gadget on Government vehicles and the public in general following its approval by the Standards Association of Zimbabwe.
The device prevents the tyre from slipping off the rim, and consequently help minimise fatal road accidents.
The device is known as the Protectall tyre band, which ensures that after a tyre burst, the rubber does not dislodge from the wheel rim, and thus, there is no contact with the road which would ordinarily result in the vehicle overturning.
The device can be fitted on public service vehicles, buses, haulage trucks and private vehicles.
Government and the Standards Association of Zimbabwe recently approved the new device.
This comes after Protectall Zimbabwe managing director, Mr Edward Daniels, recently wrote to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development requesting it to recommend and consider the use of the tyre band in Zimbabwe to reduce road carnage.
SAZ also undertook an inspection on the manufacture of Protectall tyre bands in South Africa, where the product is manufactured under credible management systems certified by the South African Bureau of Standards.
Transport and Infrastructural Development Ministry permanent secretary Engineer Thedius Chinyanga recently responded saying: “I acknowledge receipt of your letter dated April 3, 2023 regarding Protectall Safety Tyre Band gadget. Your endeavour to reduce traffic accidents and improve safety on our roads is highly appreciated. The gadget was approved by the Standards Association of Zimbabwe in 2011 for use in Zimbabwe.
“The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development has no objection for motorists to fit the gadget on their wheels. You are therefore free to market the gadget for fitment on vehicles belonging to Government departments, parastatals, transport sector and the public in general.”
Last Friday, the company conducted a live demonstration to show the effectiveness of the gadget just outside a car park at the Sally Mugabe Central Hospital in Harare.
The event was attended by officials from CMED (Pvt) Ltd who include Mr Shepherd Manyanga (senior workshop foreman), Mr John William (workshop foreman) and Mr Lot Machingambi, the senior workshop foreman for ZUPCO who also said that they were impressed and satisfied that this device will play an important role in reducing loss of life on the roads as a result of tyre burst related incidents.
In an interview, Protectall Zimbabwe managing director Mr Edward Daniels reiterated that the bands are fitted to the wheel rim to lock the tyre in place in the event of a blow-out, puncture or under inflation
.“These tyre bands are produced using state-of-art technology to complement the safety aspects of modern motor vehicles in order to ensure that Protectall Safety Tyre Bands meet the world-class safety standards,” he said.
Mr Daniels added that the tyre bands are durable, and vehicles fitted with them can travel for up to 25km at a safe speed after a puncture or blow-out, allowing them to reach a place of safety before having to change the deflated tyre.
“When a tyre loses air pressure, and the band of the tyre dislodges, the tyre usually drops into the well of the wheel rim. Once this happens, the tyre dislodges from the rim. The metal of the rim gets into direct contact with the road surface.
“When this happens, the driver loses control of the vehicle, which then swerves and becomes hazardous to other road users,” he said.
Many fatal road accidents are being recorded across the country, in some cases attributed to negligence by drivers, while in some, they are blamed on the condition of the vehicle.
Mr Mike Wilkins, a representative from Protectall South Africa where the tyre band is manufactured said he was happy that the demonstration went as expected as he hoped that this was a significant step towards the Zimbabwean market to embracing the product.
The company’s technical director Mr Abel Mtisi also said that he was impressed by the demonstration and that drivers have an important role to play too in the event of a tyre burst.
“It is important not to panic during a tyre burst and drivers should slow down gradually while maintaining a firm hold of the steering wheel. The quality of the tyre, speed and weight of the vehicle, determine the state of the tyre after running flat,” he said.
Online Reporter