THE RUBBER AND THE ROAD

Keep on the straight and narrow with good tyres

ONE very important aspect of the vehicle to check regularly is your tyres. Defective tyres are a contributory factor in one in ten fatal crashes — that’s an average of 14 people dying each year as a result of defective tyres.

Check your tyre pressure; this needs to be at the manufacturer’s recommended level, and tyre tread depth. While the minimum legal tread depth is 1.6mm, consider replacement if they are below 3mm. Remember, tyres are your only contact with the road and they will really be put to work in dealing with the challenges of winter driving.

SHOULD I FIT WINTER TYRES?

Winter tyres have tread patterns that are specially designed to bite into snow and ice. They’re made from softer rubber than normal tyres and they stay more flexible in cold weather. This means the tyre can grip the road better in snow or icy conditions. Winter tyres are labelled ‘MS’ or ‘M&S’ (mud and snow) with an alpine mountain symbol.

Irish law does not require you to fit winter tyres, but there is no law against fitting them. If you decide to fit a set of winter tyres, you should always fit a full set of four to ensure that your steering is not affected.

Once the risk of snow and ice passes, you should remove your winter tyres and re-fit your allseason or summer tyres. If you leave winter tyres on in warmer weather, the soft rubber they’re made from may wear out faster. While there is no law regarding the use of snow chains (devices fitted to the tyres of vehicles to provide maximum traction), it is an offence if their use causes damage to the road. The RSA has developed a series of videos on the top 12 basic car checks you can make between services. See the RSA YouTube channel for more