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Half of drivers willing to drive on bald tyres6 May 2011by Peter Tait Delticom AG, that runs the mytyres.co.uk site, has reported that in their survey of drivers' attitudes towards tyre safety, as many as 46% were willing to continue to drive on bald tyres and would not change their tyres with an illegal tread depth immediately. More than a third (38%) were willing to continue to drive on tyres with bulges or cracks. Although the condition of tyres has a major impact on road safety and an illegal tread depth can often contribute to road fatalities, clearly many are willing to disregard these risks to avoid the cost of tyre replacement. If caught, the penalties for bald tyres are severe. Each bald tyre leads to three license points and there is a fine of up to £2,500. The minimum legal tread depth is 1.6mm over the middle 75% of the tyre although it is never wise to let your tyres get that worn before replacement, especially during the winter months when a tread depth of less than 3mm can be hazardous. Even during the summer, it's best to replace tyres once their tread is less than 2.5mm. While other surveys have reported lower figures for those willing to drive on bald tyres, there is clearly a substantial number of drivers that are willing to risk their own and their passengers' lives as well as the lives of other drivers and pedestrians by driving on unsafe tyres. If their intention is to save money, if they are involved in an accident or stopped by the police, they would be likely to face fines and license penalty points, while, if the accident was due to the tyres, the loss of a no claims bonus and higher future premiums (made worse by penalty points) would all render a decision not to replace the tyres when it was necessary a more expensive choice than their replacement at the appropriate time. Of course the most important arguments for the replacement of worn or damaged tyres relate to road safety. There can, of course, be a lack of awareness that the tyres are in poor condition. Many drivers do not check their tyres routinely and many are unaware of the minimum tread depth and may assume that if they can see a tread, it's legal and safe. Many, therefore, may be unaware of a problem until an MOT that one or more of their tyres are needing to be replaced. Motoring bodies such as the AA and other road safety campaigners including Tyresafe and Brake have long urged motorists to pay more attention to routine checks, including of the inflation pressures and condition of their tyres, seeking early professional help if they have any concerns. It is perhaps the case that the generally more reliable performance and enhanced safety features of modern cars has resulted in drivers taking less personal responsibility for the safe operation of their vehicle, including in the area of routine maintenance checks. This, for some, is a costly and potentially dangerous omission, especially with regard to the state of their tyres. Because worn tyres can cause accidents, they can adversely effect the cost of your car insurance - yet another reason not to risk it. For cheap car insurance quotes, you can take a look below. |
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