Ambitious campaign launched to take 50,000 illegal tyres off UK roads

Ambitious campaign launched to take 50,000 illegal tyres off UK roads

To mark the start of Tyre Safety Month, Protyre has launched an ambitious initiative to rid the UK's roads of 50,000 dangerous tyres during October.

The ‘Project 200k’ campaign has been devised by Protyre to perform free safety checks on 200,000 car and van tyres nationwide in the next four weeks, which could lead to tens of thousands of severely worn and illegal tyres being identified.

Data collated by TyreSafe, the national tyre safety campaign and promoter of Tyre Safety Month, indicates that approximately one in four cars on UK roads are likely to have at least one tyre at or below the legal tread depth limit of 1.6mm.

Awareness of tyre safety amongst the UK’s 35 million drivers is a major concern for safety campaigners. Research commissioned by Protyre shows that a worrying 42% of motorists don’t know what the legal minimum tyre tread depth is, while nearly one in 10 (13%) think a garage is legally responsible for checking the condition of their car’s tyres, not the driver.

As the only component in contact with the road surface, tyres are the most crucial safety feature on any vehicle. A tyre worn to or beyond the legal limit will have very limited grip, severely compromising a vehicle’s ability to accelerate, corner and brake. Motorists can also face a fine of up to £2,500 and three penalty points for each illegal tyre.

Simon Hiorns, retail director at Protyre, which fits more than one million replacement tyres every year through an expanding network of over 70 centres, said: “Tyre Safety Month is designed to raise awareness of the importance of tyres and we’re taking the lead in promoting this message. As well as providing information and advice, we will also be performing free safety checks throughout October.

“Through our network of fast fit centres and the community events we’re hosting or attending nationwide during Tyre Safety Month, we’re confident of being able to perform over 200,000 safety checks over the next four weeks. TyreSafe’s research indicates one in four tyres in use are already at or below the legal tread limit, which means us potentially taking 50,000 dangerous tyres off our roads.

“We understand tyres are not front of mind for most people, but as the only part of a car in contact with the road’s surface, their condition can mean the difference between stopping in an emergency or having an accident. As we approach winter and the roads become cold and damp, tyres will play an increasingly important role in keeping us safe. Quite simply, a worn tyre has very little grip and is an accident waiting to happen.”

Stuart Jackson, TyreSafe chairman, comments: “TyreSafe applauds Protyre’s ambitious plans to perform 200,000 safety checks during October and is grateful to its centres throughout the country for supporting Tyre Safety Month so enthusiastically. TyreSafe hopes UK motorists practise #SafeTyreChecks and ensure they are safe, legal and winter-ready.”

For more information on Tyre Safety Month, visit  www.tyresafe.org.uk . Anyone wishing to take advantage of the free safety check offer should visit their nearest Protyre branch, which can be found via  https://www.protyre.co.uk/FindATyreCentre