Reminder to make sure the rubber on your tyre is in legal limit

OCTOBER is Tyre Safety Month - the annual reminder to make sure vehicles’ wheels are roadworthy.

Motorists using illegal, defective or under-inflated tyres can lead to serious outcomes and in 2019 contributed to five fatal collisions and 136 serious collisions according to figures from the Department for Transport.

Motoring charity Tyresafe, the driving force behind the initiative, highlighted the extent of the issue in 2016, commissioning research that revealed over 27% of the 340,000 tyres analysed were illegal due to inadequate tread.

Many police forces across the country support Tyre Safety Month and will be eagle-eyed when it comes to tyre inspections on routine checks.

Car insurance comparison experts Quotezone.co.uk are warning motorists could face another issue - both large fines and hikes to their insurance premiums if they drive with defective tyres.

Motorists can be fined up to £2,500 for each faulty tyre and receive three points on their driving licence. If the police see another tyre falling short of the law, it doubles to £5,000 and 6 points. Four faulty tyres could even see the maximum 12 points – resulting in the loss of a driving licence.

Commercial vehicle drivers, where the car or van is owned by their employer – could land firms with penalties of up to £20,000.

The legal minimum tread depth for cars in the UK is 1.6mm. These grooves help to remove water from the contact patch between your tyres and the road surface meaning the car can brake, steer and accelerate properly.

Greg Wilson, from the insurance website Quotezone.co.uk, said: “Penalty points could result in a 5% jump in a driver’s car insurance premium, while six penalty points could see the cost of their insurance rise by a painful 25%”.