The cost of being Tyred

There are two ways of looking at this and dependant on which view you take will depend on the article written. My view is not that of making mistakes when you are tired, but the cost of defective tyres. Currently the law says that a worn tyre can cost you 3 penalty points on your driving license and a heavy fine of GBP 2'000. 00. In comparison to the cost of an average tyre the fine does not compare, but the fine is there as a deterrent to make sure tyres are road legal. The legal limit for a tyre currently is 1.6mm; this had to be 75% of the width of the tyre. A quick question, when did you last check your tyres? As engineers we road test numerous cars on a daily basis, for a short road test to check for a noise such as a driveshaft up to covering many hundreds or thousands of miles, dependant on the specific request. It is the responsibility of the driver to make sure the tyres are road legal, so even a short journey can be costly. I'm pretty sure the majority of people reading this article don't check their tyres weekly, I don't, but then again, I'm hardly never in my own car. Any car I road test, I always check the tyres. Tyres do wear out unevenly and the inner shoulder is not always possible to see unless you bend down. You never know who or what is around the corner. In the last 5 years we have seen an increase in road safety campaigns and the police are setting up more frequent roadside checks. These normally include the assistance of VOSA and the licensing authorities. They will catch you if you're not legal and I'm afraid to say it, but that's why they do these checks. The consequences of running with defective tyres can have an affect if you're involved in a road traffic incident. It may not be your fault but a defective tyre may be brought into the argument as being a contributing factor, dependant on the circumstances. I have dealt with numerous cases where a vehicle has been damaged and has a defective tyre, this normally raises certain questions such as did this cause the incident. At high speed on a motorway or dual carriageway, a tyre blow out can have serious and possible fatal consequences. We are only avoiding the inevitable by not replacing tyres when they are required, the longer they are left, the more danger you are in. Any incident you are involved in that results in police attendance will, if the car you are driving has a defective tyre, result in action being taken against you. Remember "tyres really do save lives", they are your only contact on the road surface, so check them and replace them if required and remember, ignorance is no excuse. (There I've done my bit for road safety and the tyre industry, can I have a cup of Tea now please and a biscuit).

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