Article in this months Car Mechanics magazine; EU puts pressure on motorist. Basically about low tyre pressures burns more fuel blah blah but the part i found most interesting is when the general public were asked what does this symbol mean;

Only 49% of drivers correctly identified it to be the low tyre pressure warning.

34% thought it was a warning of the engine overheating

12% thought it was their screen wash running low

5% thought it indicated their brake calipers needed changing.... :wonder:

Then worst of all

0.5% thought it was a warning for an approaching cattle grid...!!!

I know this links in with another recent topic of the driving standards of today but seriously?! I would of loved to the person conducting that survey..cattle grid you say, please hand over you driving licence for the good of all kind!

Some people actually amaze me!

I thought it was overweight passenger , looks like a big bum .

You would think they would read their manuals before driving their new car, there are so many warning lights in today's cars, it's only common sense to familiarise yourself with them. But, that's too simple!

You would think they would read their manuals before driving their new car, there are so many warning lights in today's cars, it's only common sense to familiarise yourself with them. But, that's too simple!

Even reading the manual does not compute sometimes. Mother in law has a mk6 golf with the TPM and reckons that pressing the button and the light goes on and then off means the pressures are fine.

I have told her that this isn't the case and if the tyres loose pressure at the same rate it wont detect anything. 'But thats what the book says to do to check'......No it isn't, i have an identical system in my car. 'Yes but yours isn't the same, its a Skoda.....'

I give up.

To defend the people who got it wrong, my old Renault laguna which use to have tyre pressure sensors never used to have this light, the relevant tyre just use to light up on the centre console. However if it was a multiple choice, common sense should have said it was something to do with tyres and not cattle grids!

Did they only ask people who's cars were fitted with TPM's.

If not, how can you expect people to know if they have never had a car with TPM's, as they would never have seen the symbol.

That's the first time I have seen that symbol.

Never had a car with TPM.

Agreed, Octy is the first car with TPM but iv known what the symbol means for some time

Only 49% of drivers correctly identified it to be the low tyre pressure warning.

34% thought it was a warning of the engine overheating

12% thought it was their screen wash running low

5% thought it indicated their brake calipers needed changing.... :wonder:

Then worst of all

0.5% thought it was a warning for an approaching cattle grid...!!!

I know this links in with another recent topic of the driving standards of today but seriously?! I would of loved to the person conducting that survey..cattle grid you say, please hand over you driving licence for the good of all kind!

Some people actually amaze me!

So what are the statistics for cars being fitted withis type of system and actually using this symbol?

49% of people getting it right is not too bad I would say (especially if Anzio above is correct). Personally I see no real point in memorising the warning symbols in the car, I have the manual in the glove box and will check if something comes up. Not all the symbols are easily identifiable with their manual meaning. I have read it and do refer back to it, just don't see the need to know it verbatim.

People tend to forget, or do not even know that before using a TPMS,

choose the tyre pressures you are going to run,

then set/reset the Tyre Pressure Monitoring System to monitor your tyre pressure.

(thats the pressure dropping from what you choose them to be at,

should not be what some person in a Garage or some Fitter that cares very little about what pressure they set your tyres at IMO.)

It is not an automated system that inflates your tyres and you should never take responsibility for what pressure is actually in your tyres. what ever the system requires you to do, is what you should do i would think..

A case of needing to RTFOM.

george

Edited 8 May, 201214 yr by sk4gw