One of the best ways to improve the safety of your driving is to decrease the stopping distance of your vehicle. That’s the principle behind the whole “Wipe off five” campaign, for instance – the faster you’re travelling, the longer it will take for you to come to a halt after you brake, and the more likely it is that you won’t manage to stop in time when you brake to avoid a sudden hazard. Similarly, drivers are wisely told to drive more slowly in wet weather, as the reduced friction between the road and the tyre means that your braking distance is increased. Different road conditions and speeds both affect your stopping distance, and that can be the difference between stopping just before you hit a toddler and smashing right into them.
Another key factor that affects your stopping distance is tyre pressure. People don’t tend to talk about this as much, probably because historically it’s been harder to measure. You can look at your speedometer to know your speed, and you should be able to tell if it’s raining just at a glance – but how do you know whether your tyres are properly inflated? The answer is a tyre pressure monitoring system.
Before the TPMS, there was no easy way to tell what your tyre pressure was like, which led to people just going to a mechanic regularly to check it, or – worse – waiting until they had a flat. But those sorts of habits are dangerous – underinflated tyres have a significantly longer stopping distance than properly inflated tyres, so if a child runs onto the road, having your tyres correctly inflated can be a life and death matter. A tyre pressure monitor will let you know as soon as your tyre pressure drops below a recommended level, grabbing your attention with a light and an alarm, so you can fix it and continue to drive safely.