Driver Hire is playing its part in preventing deaths and injuries on UK roads by supporting this year’s ‘Road Safety Week’ (17 – 23rd November), organised by Brake, the national road safety charity.
“This year we’re helping to raise awareness of the importance of tyre safety,” says Richard Owen-Hughes, Driver Hire’s Group Marketing Director. “The goods vehicle drivers we supply to clients must conduct a tyre inspection as part of their daily walk-round check. But there’s no similar requirement for private motorists. This is a cause for concern. Department for Transport figures show that in 2023, 190 people were killed or seriously injured in incidents relating to defective tyres. That’s 22% up on 2022.”
A survey of Automobile Association (AA) members revealed that nearly half wouldn’t know where to look if asked to check the age of their tyres. One in ten wrongly assumed that tyre wear is covered in their vehicle’s annual MOT.
“Aside from the safety concerns, driving with worn tyres could earn you a penalty of three points on your driving licence per tyre, and a fine of £2,500 fine, again per tyre,” continues Richard. If all your tyres are seriously worn, you could in theory lose your licence and pick up a £10,000 fine.”
Figures from National Highways also revealed that one in five vehicle breakdowns on motorways and A-roads were the result of tyre defects. That’s 50,000 breakdowns on motorways alone.
So how do you conduct a quick tyre wear check on your car? First, look to see if your tyres have wear indicators – most do. The bars are set at 1.6mm in the grooves between tread markings. If the tread is above the wear indicator bar, the tyres are still legal. If it’s flush, time for new ones. If you can’t find the wear indicators, you can revert to the 20p coin test. Insert the coin between the treads. If the outer band in the coin is obscured when it’s inserted then your tread is above the legal limit. However, remember that 1.6mm is just the legal limit – putting safety first you may want to consider replacing tyres before they reach that point.
Commenting on the figures and Driver Hire’s plans for Road Safety Week 2024, Richard Owen-Hughes, Marketing Director said: “As one of the leading suppliers of temporary drivers to the road transport and logistics industry we’ve around 2,500 drivers out on the road every day. Clearly, we want to ensure their safety and the safety of all other road-users. That’s why we’ve been a keen supporter of Road Safety Week for over 20 years.”