Incorrect tyres can cost drivers over £112 million a year with Brits warned 57 per cent of cars on UK roads have tyre pressures at 10 per cent less than what is recommended
Drivers are being warned to carry out simple checks “at least once a month” or face a hefty £10,000 fine and points on their licence.
Incorrect tyres are costing drivers over £112million annually, with 57 per cent of cars on UK roads having tyre pressures that are 10 per cent less than the manufacturer’s recommendation. A staggering 19 million cars on UK roads have incorrectly inflated tyres. The Motor Ombudsman discovered that more than half (51 per cent) of drivers would avoid measuring the tread depth to ensure it was above the legal limit of 1.6mm.
Bill Fennell, chief ombudsman and managing director of The Motor Ombudsman, stated that these findings are “especially pertinent with the current financial pressures on the nation’s motorists.” Stuart Lovatt, chair at TyreSafe, cautioned that under-inflation could cost motorists “dearly”.
While Sophie Lyden, a tyre safety campaigner and depot manager at Westgate Tyres, advised that “drivers should check their tyres at least once a month to ensure that they are safe and legal”. She further added that the “repercussions of not giving tyres the due care and attention they deserve, is far more costly in the long run in terms of time and repairs.”
The law mandates a minimum 1.6 millimetres of tread across the central 34 of your tyre’s circumference, according to Kwik Fit who state: “A weekly check of your car tyres can help you to avoid 3 penalty points and £2,500 in fines for having tyres worn beyond the legal minimum limit on your vehicle.”
Drivers should replace their wheels before they hit the legal limit for safety purposes, reports Birmingham Live. Many car manufacturers suggest changing them at three millimetres as stopping lengths significantly rise below this depth.
When conditions are wet – and your tread is only 1.6 millimetres – your halting distance expands by two car lengths (eight metres) at 50 mph, compared to if your tread was three millimetres.