Why tyres are crucial to road safety

TYRES are arguably the most neglected safety component on a vehicle and yet they are the only contact a vehicle has with the road surface.

Four patches of rubber, each no bigger than the palm of your hand, is all that connects the car with the road surface, this is an indication of how important they are.

Research by TyreSafe, the UK’s leading tyre safety organisation, has indicated that some 12% of cars and vans on Britain’s road have at least one defective tyre – that is having a tread depth below 1.6mm. A further 12% of vehicles have a tyre with a tread depth between 2mm and 1.6mm whilst not illegal, according to TyreSafe in need of replacement for safety reasons.

A high percentage of tyres are also being used under inflated and that condition poses both a road safety risk, as well as using more fuel and increasing a car’s greenhouse gas emissions. Tyres not maintained at the correct pressure can also accelerate wear, according to Michelin research a tyre 15% under inflated will have an equivalent 15% life reduction.

Regular checks

Motorists should be encouraged to regularly check their tyres for tread depth, inflation pressure and general condition. If in doubt, the driver can visit a local tyre retailer to seek advice. Most reputable tyre outlets will provide a free tyre safety check.

The law related to tread depth is a piece of European legislation common across all European Union member states. However, up to 80% of UK motorists quizzed by TyreSafe did not know that tyres are required to have a minimum of 1.6mm of tread on the running wheels. The penalties for ignoring the law are potentially a £2,500 fine and three penalty points per tyre on a driver’s licence.

No compromise

Safety should be a fundamentally important element in the process of selecting replacement tyres. Motorists place themselves and their passengers at risk if they compromise on the choice of tyres for no other reason than saving a few pounds.

Tyres play a crucial part in the handling and performance of a vehicle and if they are badly worn much of the active safety systems, such as ABS, traction control or ESC, now increasingly being fitted to cars, can be less effective or indeed useless in emergency situations.

According to research from Germany, the major concern expressed by motorists is the fear of skidding in the wet and so tread depth plays an important part in keeping safe and avoiding skidding accidents. Recent UK Government figures show that under inflated and defective tyres are responsible for more than a third of all road crashes resulting in injury.

Part worn tyres

Another worrying aspect of tyre safety raised by TyreSafe is the continued sale of part worn tyres. Legislation does exist to protect motorists and to control this trade, however, a recent check by Lincolnshire Trading Standards revealed that 30% of these tyres for sale in the county were found to have serious defects that could compromise driver safety when fitted to a vehicle.

Tyres examined by Trading Standards were found to have a variety of faults. These included unsafe repairs, damage to the bead area of the tyre compromising its ability to maintain pressure whilst on the rim, and tyres that have been run in a deflated condition leading to structural damage not visible to the naked eye.

Under inflation

Whilst there has been a lot of attention paid in recent years to tread depth, TyreSafe has been focussing attention on under inflation and the safety problems that this causes. Under inflation of vehicle tyres uses more fuel, pumps more carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere and, at the extreme, can severely affect the handling of a vehicle.

TyreSafe organised a campaign recently focused on this aspect of tyre safety. In a unique survey among retailers, it was found that almost three quarters of cars on UK roads have tyres that are under inflated.

The impact of climate change is now top of the global news agenda and the tyre industry together with the retail servicing sector, can play an important part in raising the awareness of this issue as well as offering help and advice to motorists of how to improve fuel consumption and reduce CO2 emissions. It must also not be forgotten the important safety benefits that come with having correctly inflated tyres.

In the final analysis, it is an unfortunate fact of life, but motorists generally do not think about their tyres yet they play a vital safety roll. A simple weekly visual check with a more thorough monthly examination will ensure that they provide a safe and secure driving experience for maximum mileage.

TyreSafe is a not for profit, noncommercial organisation set up to promote tyre safety and raise the awareness of the dangers of driving on defective or badly worn tyres. All major tyre companies and retailers in the UK support it. Tyre safety information is available by logging on to www.tyresafe.org

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