It’s Tyre Safety Month – have you checked yours?

UK road safety charity TyreSafe is encouraging drivers to get into the routine of checking their tyres regularly as part of its annual Tyre Safety Month campaign.

Running throughout October, the event aims to address the issue of more than half of Britain’s motorists driving on poorly maintained or defective tyres, in doing so, increasing fuel consumption, tyre wear and the risk of an incident on the road.

Tyresafe recommends that condition, pressures and tread depth of tyres should be checked at least every month.

Driving without the correct amount of air in tyres makes a vehicle more difficult to control and reduces the amount of grip it has on the road. It also increases fuel bills, tyre wear and the risk of being involved in an incident.

Lumps, bumps, cracks and cuts are a sign your tyre may be dangerous and need replacing.

All tyres should have a tread depth above the minimum legal limit of 1.6mm to ensure the tyre remains in contact with the road in the wet. More than 27% of tyres are already illegal when they are replaced and over 70% of tyres are below 2mm when replaced.

Drivers are also being encouraged to sign up to TyreSafe’s social media channels to receive regular tyre safety advice and get involved by sharing the ‘Don’t Ignore Your Tyres’ message with others and post a photo of yourself carrying out #TyreChecks, while participating tyre dealers will be offering a FREE tyre safety check.

TyreSafe Chairman, Stuart Jackson said: “Look Who’s Talking and the supporting strapline Don’t Ignore Your Tyres highlight the core challenge that needs to be overcome to reduce the number of tyre-related incidents – behaviour change among motorists.

“While it might sound like an elementary campaign title, feedback from our partners, in conjunction with what TyreSafe team members also witness first-hand, underlines there is still a need for basic education of a significant proportion of drivers.

“There may be a section who consciously choose to ignore road safety messages but there is good reason to believe a far larger number would act on the advice if they were made aware of it. We encourage all motorists to support Tyre Safety Month and increase awareness of tyre safety in Britain.”

Three simple DIY tyre checks

• Air pressure: the vehicle manufacturer provides at least two air pressure recommendations – one for light loads and another when fully loaded. Use an accurate pressure gauge and to ensure the vehicle’s tyres are at the correct settings. Check your car manual for correct pressures.
• Condition: Every tyre should be free of cuts, lumps or bulges. If you see anything unexpected, have it inspected by a professional
• Tread depth: in Britain, the legal limit for a car tyre’s tread depth is 1.6mm. Adequate tread helps keep the tyre in contact with the road, especially in the wet, and reduces the chances of aquaplaning