40% of motorists don’t check their tyres often enough, study finds

A study by tyre manufacturer Continental has found that as many as four in ten British motorists fail to check their tyres regularly, putting themselves and other road users at risk.

Continental surveyed 2,000 motorists, 12% of whom admitted that they never check their tyres at all. 27% said they ‘didn’t know’ when they last checked them, and 18% said that they didn’t know whether their tyres were road legal or not.

Driving on tyres with an illegal tread depth (below 1.6mm) could land you 12 points and a £2,500 per-tyre fine, making these findings all the more striking.

Only 27% of survey respondents knew that the minimum tread depth was 1.6mm, and 2% of motorists incorrectly named 1mm as the legal limit.

“It is vital your car is in a roadworthy condition, and this means carrying out regular maintenance checks – particularly with an easy-to-do task like looking at the condition of your tyres,” said Continental’s Peter Robb.

“Driving around with worn tyres can not only be a dangerous experience, but also a costly one,” he continued.

“Tyres form the essential bond between your vehicle and the ground, with the tread gripping to the road as you drive, and if there isn’t enough tread your car loses traction and your braking distance increases.

“Reduced tread depth makes it harder to control the vehicle in wet weather and the chance of aquaplaning increases, putting lives at risk inside and outside of the vehicle.”

These statistics further illustrate the importance of speaking to your customers about their tyres and educating them on the risks of driving on illegal rubber.

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