Unsurprisingly, a recent announcement from the Department of Transport claims that defective tyres contribute to 1200 casualties a year. The latest Road Casualties in Great Britain report shows that 18 motorists were killed during the year from defective tyres, bringing the number of tyre related deaths on UK roads in the last five years to 164.
Stuart Jackson, chairman of TyreSafe says, “The latest figures are truly shocking and emphasise why we need on-going action, education and awareness about tyre safety issues. Making sure that your tyres are safe and legal is a quick and easy job, yet we still see hundreds of accidents occurring each year because drivers don’t make these essential safety checks.”
TyreSafe has launched a range of online resources (www.tyresafe.org) showing drivers how to make a number of critical tyre safety checks, such as tread depth, tyre pressure and condition. The site also includes a dramatic movie of a car driving on an ice rink, demonstrating the added safety benefits of winter weather tyres in cold and wet conditions.
