Fire service gong for tyre campaign
CHESHIRE Fire And Rescue Service has won an award for its tyre safety campaign which is run in conjunction with a national charity.
The service won a Tyre Safety Award in the community category for their work with partners TyreSafe, in reducing the number of unsafe tyres on the roads in Cheshire.
There are more than 10 million illegal tyres on the roads in the UK with most people only finding out they have been driving on unsafe tyres when they go for their annual MOT check.
Illegal tyres were the cause of more than 1,000 crashes in the last year, almost double the amount caused by people being distracted by mobile phones.
Cheshire Fire And Rescue Service and Tyre Safe has been running awareness events for Cheshire’s drivers by engaging with the public and offering a free tyre safety check along with advice on how to check tyres and the potential consequences of under-inflated or overworn tyres.
Colin Heyes, road safety manager at Cheshire Fire And Rescue Service, said: “We are delighted to have won this award for trying to tackle what is a huge problem on our roads. Most people don’t think about their tyres when going from A to B but worn tyres can burst at any time or significantly increase stopping distances with deadly consequences.
“We want to encourage people to check the tread of their tyres, the air pressure and the condition at least once a month or ● before a long journey.
“These simple and quick steps can help prevent a tragedy in the future.”
Under-inflated tyres also hit motorists in the pocket by costing more in fuel to drive on and by wearing faster, meaning the tyres will need to be replaced more often.