Check tyres on a regular basis

With the weather due to take a turn for the worse, a UK charity is urging drivers to make sure their tyres are safe and sound.

TyreSafe says while the number of reported casualties caused by tyre-related defects fell in 2015, on average more than 1,000 people a year are killed or injured from such incidents.

In fact, that average number of casualties is higher than for faulty brakes and nearly double that for incidents, causing injury where the driver’s use of a mobile phone was a contributory factor.

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To help reduce this number of casualties on the roads, TyreSafe is urging drivers to carry out regular tyre checks.

Even though the need to perform many of what were once routine car maintenance checks has declined as vehicles have become more reliable, tyres still need to be regularly inspected.

They are in direct physical contact with the road and all the potentially damaging objects which often litter them – even new tyres lose pressure over time.

Yet, despite this, one-in-five drivers have never checked their tyres, a concerning figure which rises to one-in-three among drivers below the age of 25.

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As a result, there is an urgent need for Britain’s drivers to become more aware of the importance of their vehicle’s tyres to road safety.

There are three key factors which influence a tyre’s road-worthiness: its air pressure; condition and tread depth.

The correct pressures can be found in the handbook, door shut, filler cap or the glovebox in some cases, and ensuring they are correct will help your vehicle perform as it should, reduce wear and even save you fuel.

TyreSafe does not believe motorists are deliberately choosing to take a chance by failing to carry out routine checks but they clearly need education on the critical function tyres have and what measures can be taken to properly maintain them.

The most significant cost of a defective tyre is not measured in pounds and pence – don’t chance it, check it.

Stuart Jackson,

TyreSafe chairman,

5 Berewyk Hall Court,

White Colne,

Colchester.

Esesx.