Royal Award for TyreSafe – Revealing the hidden danger of tyre-related defects

7 December 2024

A Prince Michael International Road Safety Award has gone to TyreSafe recognising its progress towards achieving its vision of zero harm to road users as a result of poorly maintained or illegal tyres. The award marks a significant milestone, as  TyreSafe approaches two decades of campaigning for more action to address this growing risk.

Its ‘Tread Depth Survey at the Point of Replacement’ was the first of its kind to look at tyres across the UK vehicle parc. This enabled TyreSafe and National Highways to quantify the scale of the issue, leading on to targeted campaigns to be developed working with the regions and Devolved Assemblies to highlight the risks in their specific area.

The additional ‘Post Collision Study’ was also the first of its kind. TyreSafe experts examined tyres on vehicles which had been involved in a collision to ascertain the frequency of tyre defects. In 2024, this was enhanced to include comparison with the condition of tyres on vehicles randomly selected at roadside checks. The results showed an average of 3.05 defects per tyre on those inspected in compounds with 2.67 defects per tyre at roadside checks.