A new study has found that 42 percent of drivers cannot accurately identify the tire pressure monitoring system dashboard warning symbol. While the customer survey, recently conducted by TNS on behalf of Schrader International, showed an increase in TPMS recognition from a 2010 survey, there is still plenty of room for more education, said Schrader. 
Recognizing the lack of driver knowledge, Schrader and others are working to further educate drivers on the importance of TPMS.
“At Schrader, we’re committed to making a difference in driver safety,” said Hugh Charvat, president and CEO of Schrader. “This begins with consumer education around how to recognize and what to do in a low tire pressure situation and continues with our dedication to delivering the best technology and operational performance in TPMS to our global original equipment manufacturer customers and aftermarket service partners.”
Schrader is working with its service partners to educate the public through point-of-sale elements such as product displays, waiting room posters, consumer-focused videos and handouts. Schrader also offers consumers online content to educate them before they have the conversation in store.
With roughly 104 million vehicles in the U.S. equipped with TPMS and an estimated 91 percent of the U.S. vehicle population expected to be TPMS-equipped by 2023, education is important, Schrader said. Because of this, Schrader wants to shine a “traffic light”– green (good news), yellow (areas for improvement) and red (staggering facts) – on TPMS education and awareness.
Schrader said its green light news is that drivers have expressed interest in safer and more environmentally friendly cars. Roughly 94 percent believe TPMS is an important safety feature for a car and 79 percent said it is also important for the environment. Roughly 95 percent of those surveyed consider safety features and 72 percent consider environmental impact when shopping for a car.
Other good news is TPMS-equipped vehicles can save money through reduced fuel consumption and nearly half of drivers surveyed would likely purchase TPMS for their car if one wasn’t already installed.
Despite the green light news, there are still several areas for improvement, Schrader said.
Some yellow light issues include the fact that one in 10 drivers have admitted to intentionally ignoring the TPMS warning light and continuing to drive. While 21 percent of drivers say they would continue driving until they could check their tires with the naked eye, Schrader notes that by the time someone can visually detect a tire’s under-inflation it can be nearly 50 percent underinflated.
Schrader noted that 42 percent of drivers rarely check their tire pressure; with 34 percent of men saying they rarely do and 50 percent of women, adding to another area for improvement.
The red light, staggering facts, are that according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, tires that are underinflated by more than 25 percent are three times more likely to be involved in a crash related to tire problems.
The NHTSA reports that there are nearly 200,000 accidents caused by tire-related issues, 660 highway fatalities are due to underinflated tires and 33,000 injuries due to underinflated tires annually.
Additionally, the NHTSA reports that roughly 3.5 million gallons of gasoline are wasted daily due to underinflated tires.
To learn more about the importance of TPMS, visit TPMSMadeSimple.com (for drivers), TPMSMadeEasy.com (for the aftermarket), and TPMSMadeRight.com (for original equipment vehicle manufacturers).
