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Tire Safety Check Station

SINCE 2016

Improperly inflated tires reduce fuel efficiency, increase carbon emissions and can be dangerous to drivers and roadway passengers. The Department of Transportation estimates that in the U.S alone, under-inflated tires waste two billion gallons of fuel each year. Additionally, tire blow-outs cause several hundred roadway fatalities every year and are a contributing factor to thousands of non-fatal accidents. Many drivers don’t keep their tires properly inflated because our current methods of monitoring and inflation are both difficult and inconvenient.

ALONG THE RAY

To improve fuel economy and safety—and to gather data to help inform public policy and drive awareness—The Ray is home to a roll-over tire pressure monitor located at the GeorgiaVisitor Information Center. The WheelRight tire monitoring system can measure the pressures and tread depth of individual tires on vehicles traveling up to about 10 mph; and the monitor’s connected to an automatic number plate recognition camera. The driver simply rolls over the monitor and select either a print out or enter their phone number to receive a text message with critical information about their tire pressure and tread depth. The Ray is the only WheelRight station in the world that offers this complete service – and it is free to use!

FUTURE INNOVATION

In 2018, WheelRight introduced a third l component to The Ray’s WheelRight system – tire sidewall analysis. Cameras can easily capture Department of Transportation numbers printed on the side of each tire, which can convey important information about the tire such as it’s age. More difficult is capturing sidewall damage, common in vehicles that come into contact with sidewalk curbs on a regular basis. WheelRight is using The Ray as an innovation space, using the data gathered for machine learning that will create the algorithm that will soon add sidewall damage to the growing list of features standard in any WheelRight tire safety system.