More than a third of motorists driving with ‘dangerous’ tyres

6 December 2009

More than a third (36%) of UK motorists are driving with dangerous or very dangerously under-inflated tyres, according to the results of Michelin’s 2009 ‘Fill Up With Air’.

The tyre safety roadshow, now in its sixth year, visited 24 cities to offer drivers a free tyre pressure check and a free fill-up for those with under-inflated tyres.

More than 4,500 cars were checked during the three-month campaign, more than ever before, and only 34% were found to be driving with correctly inflated tyres, while 6% were driving with punctures.

Michelin says that tyre pressures up to 4psi below the manufacturer recommended level is ‘acceptable’; under inflation of 5-7 psi is ‘temporarily acceptable’; under inflation of 8-14 psi is ‘dangerous’; and under inflation by more than 14 psi is deemed ‘very dangerous’.