A GNA Feature by Bertha Badu-Agyei/Harriet Kwakye
Accra, June 02, GNA-Car tyre safety is one of the critical aspects of vehicle maintenance and road safety for all road users both drivers and pedestrians alike, however the knowledge in tyre changing and maintenance appears to be another area reserved for men.
Often, one finds women who have parked their vehicles on the roadside due to a flat tyre and looking for help, or they call their mechanics to just help perform what car experts describe “as a simple task” to fix their tyre!
Globally, women are considered safer drivers than men, with lower crash rates and fewer fatal accidents; women are more cautious, patient and more careful on the road to avoid any form of road crash or accident.
To empower women in the driver’s seat, on tyre fixing and maintenance, Vulco Rana Motors, in collaboration with the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), the University of Ghana Chapter, embarked on a hands-on training for women in tyre fixing to build their confidence on the road.
Women lecturers, allied staff and female students on the campus were taken through jack a car and tyre changing, checking tyre pressure and threads, tools handling and general safety precautions on driving by experts from Vulco-Rana Motors to empower women feel safe and confident on the road.
Dr Sarah Majie, Women’s Executive of UTAG-UG, said the goal of the training was to empower women in general and faculty female members in particular in tyre related emergencies which often takes a toll on women in times of emergencies on the road.
“We know driving children to school and fro, going to the market for shopping, taking care of the family’s health needs is done by women and therefore it’s very critical to empower them on this simple procedure during tyre related emergencies so they feel safe and confidence on the road any time.”
She recalled how she spent more than two hours to get a mechanic to fix her flat tyre whiles returning from a journey recently and the fear that gripped her because the location was somehow isolated.
“If I had that knowledge of fixing a tyre I would have done it myself without wasting that two long hours,” she admitted.
Dr Mona Sunish, of the Department of Plant and Environmental Biology at the UG and a beneficiary of the training, described it as a real experience to be able to fix a flat tyre in the middle of the road when no one was around.
She urged women to take advantage and acquire that knowledge.
Mr Manish Puri, West Africa Regional Manager of Vulco-Rana Motors in an interview with the GNA said the initiative was part of their Social Corporate Responsibility and in line with their vision of taking care of the safety of all motorists.
He said: “We realised that when it comes to Tyre safety most people were ignorant of maintenance and how to respond to tyre emergencies, especially women who often drive to run domestic errands and to attend social programmes.
“By providing women the knowledge and skills necessary to maintain car tyres, we are empowering them to take control of their vehicle safety and wellbeing and this in turn can boost their confidence and independence on the road as well as their economic activities.”
Mr Puri said tyres were very critical in the full functioning of a vehicle and it was imperative for every driver, a man or woman to have knowledge of the basics such as changing a flat tyre, having the requisite tools in the car as well as a spare tyre to be able to respond to emergencies quickly.
As part of the empowering women on the wheels project, Mr Puri noted that women from different institutions have been trained and formed safety ambassadors to empower more women out there on tyre management to be confident and safe on the roads.
Vulco-Rana Motors, apart from ensuring safety of all motorists through the sale of quality car tyres and services is also looking at sustainability and environmentally friendly measures to dispose of old tyres to contribute to climate change mitigations.
He disclosed that in collaboration with Access Bank, his outfit had embarked on a project of recycling old used tyres into sandals and over 20,000 sandals had already been distributed to schools.
Mr Shakti Shukla, National Retail Manager, Vulco-Rana Motors on his part said the focus of the training was to deliberately provide women with the technical know-how to be able to attend to tyre emergencies “tyre fixing is a very easy process but women always have to rely on others and we think that should change”.
Throwing more light on tyre safety, he urged motorists to change tyres at least after two years depending on the usage of the car or five years which is widely considered as the life span of every tyre and advised motorists to seek expert advice before tyre patches or puncture repairs since it’s not recommended.
She advised women drivers to always keep a spare tyre, wheel spanner and a jerk in their cars and hoped that when women were able to respond to tyre emergencies on the road it would reduce their burdens as well as boost their confidence to go about their duties safely.
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensah