The study concerns incorrect tyre pressure and mounting of tyres in a group of vehicles involved in single vehicle accidents, compared to a random group of vehicles in traffic. Correct tyre pressure was less frequent in the accident group compared to the control group although in the control group incorrect pressure was frequent. Results were as follows: (1) cars with illegal rims are more often in the accident group than in the control group; (2) cars with a mixture of radial and cross ply tyres are more often in the accident group than in the control group; (3) the proportion of cars with retread tyres is larger in the accident group than in the control group; (4) there is no difference between location of the engine and of the driving wheel in the two groups; (5) the proportion of cars with an oversteering tendency judged by tyre pressure alone is 50% larger in the accident group than in the control group; (6) the proportion of cars with an understeering tendency is almost the same in the two groups.
Abstract