New Delhi

\Indiais estimated to be losing over 42 crore litres of petrol worth more than Rs 4,500 crore every year due to low tyre pressure, one of the most neglected aspects of vehicle maintenance, according to a study by industry body ATMA.

A large number of passenger vehicles on Indian roads are being driven with tyre pressure below the manufacturer-recommended levels, resulting in substantial fuel wastage, higher vehicle operating costs and increased road safety risks, as per the study by Indian Tyre Technical Advisory Committee (ITTAC), the technical arm of Automotive Tyre Manufacturers' Association (ATMA).

Over the past few years, tyres of more than 1.3 lakh passenger vehicles, including two-wheelers, have been checked across the country, including nearly one lakh tyres during the last year alone, ATMA said.

"The findings reveal that 32 per cent of tyres were operating with air pressure lower than 20 per cent of the recommended level, while another 21 per cent had tyre pressure between 10 per cent and 20 per cent below the recommended level," it added.

Citing international studies, ATMA said every one PSI drop in tyre pressure lowers fuel efficiency by approximately 0.2 per cent.

Based on the tyre pressure data gathered during the survey, ATMA estimates that low tyre pressure is resulting in a fuel efficiency loss equivalent to 0.75 per cent of India's total fuel consumption by vehicles.

"With annual petrol consumption in India estimated at 56.77 billion litres and almost the entire petrol being consumed by passenger vehicles, including two-wheelers, this translates into a loss of approximately 42.57 crore litres of petrol every year. At prevailing retail fuel prices, the value of this wasted fuel exceeds Rs 4,500 crore annually," ATMA said.