Freescale Single-Package Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS):Many people seem to think that maintaining proper tire pressure is a nuisance and keeping our cars clean deserves more attention. In fact, a Rubber Manufacturers Association survey discovered that nearly 70 percent of American drivers wash their vehicles at least once a month while only 15 percent check their tire inflation that frequently. Unfortunately, driving on improperly inflated tires can be deadly. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that 23,000 accidents and 535 fatalities per year involve flat tires or blowouts, both of which can be the result of improperly inflated tires.
But improperly inflated tires is a global safety issue. In France, the Sécurité Routière estimates that nine percent of all fatal road accidents are the result of under-inflated tires. The German DEKRA found that tire problems are linked to an estimated 41 percent of all injury accidents. Its recent study in Germany found that 75 percent of vehicles on the road had at least one tire under-inflated by three pounds-per-square-inch (psi) or more.
Under-inflated tires can also impose an economic hardship on the owner, particularly in businesses that heavily rely on road transportation. The economic impact can be especially serious in the commercial trucking industry. Just a few pounds of under-inflation can cost trucking firms thousands of dollars per year in heightened fuel costs and increased retread and tire replacement expenses.