Tire pressure monitoring systems will be mandatory on all new vehicles in Europe as soon as 2012.
Commenting on the recent European Commission ruling, executives from Continental AG say the commission "wants not only to promote environmental protection but also to push down the number of accidents due to tire failure... with its proposal, the European Commission is now complying with the demands of automobile clubs and automotive experts."
"About 90% of all tire defects are attributable to a slow leak in tire pressure," says Continental spokesman Alexander Luhrs. "If all cars had their tires correctly inflated, car running costs in Europe alone could be reduced by 3.4 billion euros a year."
Continental is pressing for a compulsory tire pressure monitoring system that alerts drivers when pressure in at least one tire shows a 10% deviation from the recommended inflation pressure.
