digital divide network - article database

TPMS: The Cash Cow The monitoring of a car's tire pressure is something that has not been featured as something that is of prime importance, until recently. As far back as two years ago, legislation in the United States has made it mandatory that all automobiles that come out of the production line be fitted with TPMS, or tire pressure monitoring systems. So, the question is, why the sudden urgency? If tire pressure monitoring is something to be concerned about, why then was it not implemented years before, alongside with other car features like oil level monitoring, temperature monitoring, door lock features and so on. The answer lies in the perception that any casual visual inspection of the tires will yield a reasonable assessment of tire pressure status. However, to the untrained eye, as most drivers would fall into this category, the lessening of pressure of up to twenty five percent for instant, would not be immediately obvious. Twenty five percent, incidentally, is the threshold limit set by the Tread Act that stipulates vehicle tire performance, and we can reasonably assume the when this threshold is reached, vehicle safety in terms of road holding, stopping distances and so on, would be compromised. Indeed, tpms or tire pressure monitoring systems, should have been introduced earlier, rather than just in the last few years. Nothing matters more to the safety of passengers and pedestrians than road safety. It is undeniable that tpms will help to reduce road accidents as a result of tire blowouts for instant, but one would still have to question the initial cost of installation as well as the subsequent maintenance fees. Needless to say, such added costs are been passed down to the consumers, and rightfully, one will question if statistics are indeed available to determine if automotive accidents of the kind caused by deflated tires are reduced as a result of implementation. Skeptics will claim that the entire campaign of putting pressure sensors on every vehicle in the United States is no more than a farce to put money into the pockets of industrialists. It should not come as a surprise that a whole new industry, in the vehicle OEM as well as the aftermarket sectors, is been created to cater for the requirements of the new legislation and tpms manufacturers vying for a share of the market. It seems to some that tpms implementation seeks to benefit those in the business of providing such products and services much more than to the benefit of road users. In the final analysis, it will seem that the real benefits of tpms and the extend to which it will help to reduce accidents will only be apparent in years from now when numbers are available to justify the continuing expenses of installation and maintenance. In the absence of reliable statistics in favor of tpms, one would rather choose to revert back to the good old days of just giving the tires a kick.