Worn tyres linked to 32 fatal crashes

Alice Peacock

The Motor Trade Association is calling on the Government to improve vehicle safety policing, after figures showed 32 fatal crashes in the past three years were linked to worn tyres.

Statistics from the Transport Agency show the percentage of crashes over the past seven years that were related to vehicle factors, and specifically, tyre tread.

They showed 9 per cent of fatal crashes were linked to some sort of vehicle fault.

In the past three years, 32 fatal crashes were related to worn tyre tread.

A total of 464 crashes were related to worn tyre tread.

The figures used by the Motor Trade Association in their analysis were drawn from the Transport Agency’s crash analysis system.

The association said vehicle safety should be addressed as part of the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport.

Chief executive Craig Pomare said worn tyres had been linked to a growing number of crashes since the Warrant of Fitness system was changed in 2014.

The MTA recommended motorists upgrade their tyres at about 3mm of depth — rather than the minimum allowable depth of 1.5mm.

Drivers should have their cars checked every six months to ensure the brakes, tyres, lights, suspension and steering were all in top shape, Pomare said.

More than half a million vehicles failed their WOFs last year because their tyres were in poor condition.