Michelin Lobbying for Tire Safety to Be a Part of Driving Tests

In the future, tire safety could become part of the official driver’s education materials.

Michelin and the FIA, the governing body for world motorsports, are both calling for all 50 states in the U.S. to include tire safety information on official education materials by 2020. According to the tire manufacturer, new data about driver’s education and training finds that teenagers in the U.S. often lack the essential knowledge and skills to help keep them safe on the road.

As the top killer of teens in America, automobile accidents account for over 5,000 deaths per year and according to the statistics, of the 2.2-million vehicle accidents annually, 12 percent feature inexperienced drivers and involve tire-related issues such as insufficient tread or improperly inflated tires.

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In hopes of addressing the safety gap in the current U.S. driver’s education curriculum, Michelin and the FIA are launching an initiative to transform the way new drivers are trained and educated, including mobilizing parental involvement, encouraging peer education and working to update the state-by-state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) education curricula. The campaign, called Beyond the Driving Test, hopes to raise awareness of tire maintenance and safety.

“Young drivers can take some very easy, quick steps that can affect their safety – and help them avoid an accident,” said Pete Selleck, president of Michelin North America. “Tires are the only parts of a car that touch the road, so it makes sense that driving safety begins with tire maintenance. Driver’s education today has done many things well; however, it has generally ignored some key safety facts – driving with unsafe or improperly inflated tires – that can be life threatening.”