Tyre Safety Month: how to check your tyres

TyreSafe, a UK charity dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of correct tyre maintenance and the dangers of defective and illegal tyres, has launched this year’s annual October-long Tyre Safety Month by asking Britain’s motorists ‘What’s Stopping You?‘.

Regular tyre safety checks reduce the risks of an incident while on the roads but an estimated one-in-five drivers have never checked the tread on their tyres, a startling number which rises to one-in-three among young drivers.

Checking and maintaining tyres also reduces the cost of motoring as underinflated tyres will wear quicker and cause the vehicle to use more fuel.

To educate drivers on the importance and benefits of tyre safety, TyreSafe has developed impactful, and realistic depictions of scenarios involving families, loved ones and young drivers to resonate with a range of audiences and highlight the potential stakes of driving on defective tyres. 

The question What’s Stopping You? not only reminds the motorist of the benefits and importance of tyre checks but also carried the literal message that, as the only point of contact between the road and the vehicle, it is tyres which are crucial for safe and effective braking and cornering.

The campaign incorporates the powerful acronym ‘A.C.T. – Air pressure, Condition, Tread’ to further imprint the three elements of basic tyre safety checks on the driver, as the closing message on each video and a feature on static visuals.

How to check your tyres

Air Pressure: the correct tyre pressures are usually shown on a sticker in your van’s door shut, filler cap or in the owner’s manual. Use an accurate pressure gauge to ensure they are right for the load as part of your pre-journey planning.

Condition: if stones or other objects caught between grooves in the tread can be removed without damaging the tyre, drivers are advised to do so. Bulges, cracks, cuts and embedded objects are cause for concern and need to be checked by a professional.

Tread: if you don’t have access to an accurate tread depth gauge, a 20p coin can be used to see if your tyres’ tread depths are approaching the 1.6mm minimum limit. Insert the 20p at several points across and around each tyre. If you can see the coin’s outer rim at any point the tyre may be illegal and you should seek advice from a professional.

Stuart Jackson, TyreSafe Chair, said: “While we campaign year-round to raise awareness of tyre safety, this October’s Tyre Safety Month campaign is particularly powerful in how is depicts the real risks and high stakes of not regularly checking your tyres.

“There really is no excuse for ignoring tyre safety -you’ll help keep yourself, your passengers and other road users safe, particularly as the winter months and more challenging driving conditions approach.

“Tyre safety checks – what’s stopping you?”