Wheel Loss Preventionsupplied by

A British Solution to a Global Problem

UK Head Office and Global Sales Safetytrim Holdings Ltd.Boston House69-75 Boston Manor RoadBrentfordMiddlesexTW8 9JJT: 0044 (0)20 8847 8638F: 0044 (0)20 8332 3000M: 0044 (0)7501 683 419E: philipa@safetytrimworldwide.com

Development and Special ProjectsSafety-trim Ltd.Graffix HouseThe Henley Business CentreNew Town RoadHenley on ThamesRG9 1HGT: 0044 (0)1491 842913 F: 0044 (0)01491 842914 M: 0044 (0)7710 389527

Distribution and UK Corporate Sales Accountants- Saffery ChampnessSafetytrimworldwide Ltd. 1 St. Stephens Court1 Viscount Way St. Stephens RoadWoodley Bournemouth Reading DorsetBerkshire BH2 6LARG5 4DZ T: 0044 (0)1202 294 281T: 0044 (0)845 603 8211 F: 0044 (0)1202 290 759 F: 0044 (0)118 969 6102 E: nick.fernyhough@saffrey.comM: 0044 (0)7709 356 618 E: nickd@safetytrimworldwide.com

Safetytrim Ireland Ltd. UK Sub-distributor for North West3 Woodrow Gardens, Safetytrim North WestSaintfield 7, Thornfield HeyCo. Down WilmslowNorthern Ireland CheshireBT24 7WG SK9 2NFT: 0044 (0)28 975 11367 T: 0044 (0)1625 529 872F: 0044 (0)28 975 11367 F: 0044 (0)7006 065 933M: 0044 (0)77790 135 999 M: 0044 (0 7791 900 391 E: safetytrimireland@yahoo.com E: peterw@safetytrimworldwide.com

Safety-trim........A proven system in the identification of wheel nut loosening and prevention for avoidance of wheel loss. With a year by year increase in goods beingtransported by road and ever more stringent safety laws imposed, your company simplycannot afford not to fit this revolutionary new safety mechanism.

Our product was designed patented and is manufactured in the UK. Many transportoperators have already understood the benefit of our product and have adopted it astheir chosen solution to the age old problem of wheel nuts losing torque and thereafterpotential wheel loss.

We are now supplying large fleet operators and owner drivers in the UK and our product is to be marketed globally as a result of interest overseas.

There are a number of existing products that indicate the fact that a wheel nut has become loose. However these are indicators only and for guaranteed elimination of the problem it is essential to rely upon recommended remedial action to be taken by the driver of the vehicle. There have and will continue to be circumstances that do not allow for this action to be taken in time.

Our product identifies the problem and its unique mechanism prevents further slackening and holds the nut in place until remedied. With safety-trim your wheel will stay on your hub even if all nuts have loosened. By fitting safety-trims to your vehicles it will give the driver ample opportunity to re-torque the nut at his earliest convenience before catastrophe strikes.

Please take a few minutes to examine the following pages carefully. Not only will yoube able to save money both directly and indirectly but by making a decision to invest in safety-trim you may ultimately save a life.

If you decide that we may be able to supply your company, please contact one of our offices or your local distributor.

They said the Titanic would never sink.Trust us...Wheels come loose!

Why fit safety-trim?

Figure it out “It makes sense”

To Avoid:• Delays in journey time or non delivery of a

physical load.• Damage to hubs, studs, wheels or

suspension on vehicles. • A total loss of a wheel and tyre or a

potential for a road traffic accident.• Damage to third party vehicles, property or

actual third party injury which in a worst case scenario could include a fatality.

• Third party claims and possible increases in insurance premiums.

• A possibility of manslaughter charges –Individual or Corporate, in accordance with the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007, that came into force 6th April, 2008...

Potential below the surface costsof incident:• Your own driver medical costs, sick leave

and or compensation.• Vehicle downtime losses, costs for a

replacement vehicle, the cost of eitherrepairing or selling the damaged vehicle.

• Legal fees, management time, third partyvehicle costs, damage to load, recovery cost,customer service cost, missed back loadopportunity, increased insurance premiums, in house repairs, reputation.

By fitting safety-trim you canachieve the following:• Eradicate the chance of all of the

aforementioned having to be explained and dealt with!

• Reduce labour charges by being sure thatwheel nuts will be taken off in accordancewith recommended times rather than beingseized in place.

• Enhance the look of your fleet for bothnew and OLDER EQUIPMENT.

• Meet Health and Safety standards and beconsidered a professional and caringoperator by both your staff and clients alike.

• Potentially reduce both operating costs andmaybe even have insurance premiums lowered.

WHEEL LOSS and damage caused bywheel nuts backing off may be substantiallyreduced, or eliminated, by best practicehousekeeping and the controlled use of ourwheel nut management system.

Whatever roads you travel, the signs are there with safety-trim.

When a wheel becomes detached from a heavy vehicle it may simply come to rest without causing any further damage or harm. However, in the wrong circumstances, it can collide with other vehicles or road users and cause an accident which in some cases have resulted in fatalities.

Such detachment of wheels from vehicles- particularly heavy commercial vehicles hasbeen a cause of concern for many years. There has been a considerable amount of investigative work and comment on the subject.

Research was funded by the UK Department for Transport and this summary describes all of the work undertaken and the results and conclusions drawn from it.

The work involved:Analysis of existing UK data.The following data sources were analysed to provide historical information on the wheeldetachment and loose wheel fixings problem.• Institute of Road Transport Engineers

(IRTE) survey.• VOSA/ACPO survey (DETR, 1998)• The VOSA prohibitions database• The VOSA collisions database• The Heavy Vehicle Crash Injury Study

(HVCIS) fatals database

The main findings were as follows:The various studies carried out produced quite variable estimates of the frequency ofwheel fixing problems. However, with the exception of the TRL driver survey, there was general agreement that the frequency of loose or missing wheel nuts is in the thousands each year. The frequency of wheel detachment is in the hundreds each year and that annual fatalities resulting from wheel detachment are likely to be a very real occurrence and concern.

FactsBased on the data and a range of assumptions about the data, TRL has estimated that the typical annual frequency of wheel fixing problems is between 7,500 and 11,000 wheel fixing defects resulting in between 150 and 400 wheel detachments. Of the wheel detachments, it was estimated that between 50 and 134 would result in damage only accidents, 10 to 27 in injury accidents and 3 to 7 in fatal accidents. This data relates solely to the United Kingdom.

Not only will it protect you but save you money

Requests for data on wheel fixing problems were sent to a wide variety of countries.There is sufficient evidence of wheel fixing problems to state confidently that thisproblem is not unique to the UK. There was insufficient detailed information to enablean accurate comparison with the estimated frequency of occurrence in the UK but therewas sufficient evidence to suggest that the levels are “broadly comparable”, with increases based on greater geographical spread.

There is a bias toward problems occurring on the nearside of vehicles (i.e. left in theUK). However, this bias is small for loose wheel nuts but large for wheel detachmentssuggesting it may be of small influence in the root cause of nut loosening but may have a larger influence on the rate of progress between the first nut loosening and full wheel detachment.

FindingsFindings in Finland showed that there is a strong bias toward wheels becoming detached from the left side of vehicles, the same as in the UK, despite the fact that they travel on the opposite side of the road. This lends support to the theory that the direction of wheel rotation in relation to thread direction could have an influence on how quickly a loose wheel nut turns into a full wheel detachment.

There has been a considerable amount of research into the mechanics of wheel nutloosening and the causes are now well understood. Clamp load is considered the main parameter and the clamp load must be sufficiently high to withstand all applied forces despite any effects of joint relaxation, variation in the torque to clamp ratio, relaxation due to temperature. However, this must be achieved without the clamp force being so high that the yield point of the stud is exceeded.Current designs of wheel fixing are capable of achieving this providing joint relaxation isaccounted for with re-torquing and all components are in very good condition.

“Is it really worth chancing it?”

A small cost to cover your vehicles.

However, the factor of safety allowed means that considerable maintenance of the joint is required to maintain its effectiveness over several years’ service, particularly where vehicles are exposed to harsh operating environments.

The surveys also showed that there was evidence to suggest that those drivers oroperators who better understood and adhered to the requirements reported a lowerincidence of wheel fixing problems.

It can therefore be seen that maintenance is a key issue for the current design of wheelfixing. The theory shows why it is important in physical terms. There are a range ofguidelines in existence and there is evidence to show that these guidelines are not alwaysfollowed and evidence to show those who do follow them report lower levels of wheelfixing problems.

ConclusionsA range of potential measures capable of reducing the frequency of occurrence ormitigating the consequences were identified.

These range from indicators of wheel nutmovement to a complete redesign of wheel fixing methods. The physical effectivenessof these potential solutions was not evaluated but the survey showed that they weregenerally perceived to be beneficial by the industry.

A substantial difference was found between the perceived importance of wheel fixing problems in relation to other heavy vehicle safety issues and the relative importance in terms of fatal accident statistics. The industry respondents considered wheel fixing problems as second only to collisions with other vehicles.

The report recommended that consideration was given to routinely monitoring the frequency of wheel fixing problems, possibly through the use of the VOSA prohibitions database combined with detailed exposure data. It also recommended that consideration be given to further work to investigate improvements such as:

• Further standardisation of best practice wheel tightening procedures, in particular, simplifying the identification of recommended torque settings and standardising on the use of lubrication.

• Further education and or enforcement to encourage universal adoption of rigorous wheel maintenance procedures.

• The possibility of a fundamental re-design of the method of wheel attachment for heavy vehicles to produce a much lower maintenance solution.

• The potential mandatory use of wheel nut retention devices or movement indicators, if independently shown to be effective.

With safety-trim you will know before it’s too late.

Trouble-free trucking with a clear conscience.

Reported incidents taken from United Kingdom National Press

Lorry driver jailed after wheel hits motoristA lorry driver was today jailed for 12 months after a wheel came off his poorly maintainedvehicle on a motorway and killed an oncoming motorist. Stephen Devonport was driving his articulated truck along the M6 at Barthomley, Cheshire, when one of his axle wheels came loose. The wheel bounced along the carriageway and over the central reservation before smashing into a Vauxhall Cavalier driven by 33-year-old Simon Marsh.

Innocent victim killed by lorry wheelMr. Marsh, of Harborne, Birmingham, suffered fatal injuries in the accident on June 11 last year. The Cheshire Constabulary charged 45-year-old Devonport, of Dudley, West Midlands, with causing death by dangerous driving on the grounds that he had not taken proper care of the vehicle. He was found guilty after a trial at Chester Crown Court in May and was today sentenced to 12 months in prison by a judge at Knutsford Crown Court.

Police get tough on transport operators Inspector Russell Barnes, of the Cheshire Constabulary’s Motorway Unit, said road-users expect action to be taken against lorry drivers who put other motorists at risk. He said: “There is a great deal of debate within the haulage industry into what is known as wheel loss syndrome. “However, it is the police view that wheels become detached from vehicles due to lack of proper maintenance and can be prevented from doing so by basic maintenance. “This case highlights the need for goods vehicle operators to ensure that their maintained and safe for use on the roads.

“Road users expect us to remove those vehicles and operators who endanger not

only their own lives but those of every driver and passenger. We will continue to vigorously enforce these important safety standards.”

Teenager killed by truck wheelTeenage cyclist James Berry died on 30 December after being hit by the wheel of a Leyland truck which became detached from the vehicles axle and flew down a busyroad in Greeba, on the Isle of Man. The 13-year-old, who was one of the island’s leading young cyclists, was cycling with the world track champion and riders from the British Northern Talent Team when he was hit. The lead riders in the group saw the wheeland shouted to the others. Two riders veered onto a kerb to avoid being hit. The wheeltravelled 100 yards before hitting James on his upper body. James suffered internal bleeding and serious head injuries and died in hospital. Two men from Island Drainage and Groundwork, the company owning the truck, have been charged with manslaughter.

Woman killed by wheel on M62Jacqueline Theresa Suzanne Robinson, 54, was killed after a runaway wheel smashedinto her car on the M62 in July. The wheel came off a trailer carrying a speedboatand bounced across the carriageway into her path. Police said the wheel landed on thebonnet of her car with such force it peeled off the roof. Jacqueline died at the scene of the crash from her head injuries.

Could you live with yourself?

Man killed when van collides with detached wheelIn February, driver Kevin Jago was killed when a detached wheel from a truckcollided with a van, sending the van veering out of control across the M2, where it struckKevin’s van head on. Two days before the crash, the wheel had been removed to allowmaintenance work to be carried out on the vehicles brakes. A forensic expert concludedthat this was likely to have led to the wheel assemblies becoming detached.

Wheel crashes into car, killing womanLesley Hadley, 39, from Walton-on-the-Hill, near Stafford, was killed on 7 June in a crash on the A50 when a skip lorry heading in the opposite direction lost a wheel, which then bounced across the central reservation into her car.

Peter Ashworth, HM Coroner for Derby and South Derbyshire, who conducted the inquest into Lesley’s death, heard expert evidence that rust between two fixed rear nearside wheels on the skip lorry caused them to move and work loose. Both wheels came off and one caused Lesley’s death. He has since obtained information into other fatal cases and is calling for the Department of Transport to introduce regulations and promote use of safety devices which might prevent future tragedies.

Woman killed by trailer wheelDoris Smith, 84, from Rochford, Essex, was walking a neighbour’s dog when a wheelcame off a trailer and careered into her on 11 July. She was badly injured and died in hospital a few hours later. A man was arrested on suspicion of causing death bydangerous driving.

Truck loses two wheels and kills pensionerPensioner Hilda Weston, from East Sussex, died on 20 October when a wheel flewoff a 32-ton-lorry and hit her as she waited at a bus stop. It was the second wheel to belost from the tipper truck less than a mile earlier an outer wheel flew off into a field but the driver, Mark Stansfield, said he hadn’t noticed because of the noise of the lorry. Theinner wheel then worked its way off and hit 83-year-old Mrs Weston in the chest. MrStansfield said he carried out a visual check of the lorry on the morning he set out butnoticed no defects. An examination of the lorry after the incident revealed several of theremaining wheel nuts were loose. The crash investigator said the best way to ensure a tightened wheel nut was to use a torque wrench, a tool he said some companies shunned because of its price. Mr Stansfield said he had never used one in 20 years and had never been shown how to use one. A verdict of accidental death was recorded.

This vehicle was not fitted with safety-trim.

Keeping your vehicle on the road.

8-Stud Trim

Central Dustcover also available

Safety-trim is not expensive when compared to the

posssible cost if not fitted.

A British Solution to a Global Problem

Made in Britain