It shouldn’t come as a surprise to any motorist that it’s hugely important to keep your car’s tyres in good condition.
In addition to being the only physical point of contact between your car and the road, making their wellbeing essential for the safety of both yourself and other people, you could receive a very hefty fine if you don’t look after them.
In addition, if you have an accident and it’s discovered afterwards that your tyres were in an unroadworthy condition, your insurance could be rendered invalid.
It’s for these reasons you need to make sure you know when a tyre is unsafe, how to maintain your tyres and what the law says on the matter.
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When is a tyre unsafe?
There are a number of factors you need to keep an eye on to ensure your tyres are as safe as possible.
The first thing to check with a tyre is if there’s any damage to it in the form of large cuts or bulges. If there are, it’s almost certainly unsafe to drive on and you should get the problem sorted immediately.
Another major aspect to consider is the tyre tread. Manufacturers and safety experts generally say you should think about changing your tyres when they wear down to around 2mm or 3mm.
Finally, you should bear in mind the need to keep your tyre pressures at the correct level. If they’re too highly inflated or not enough, this is a safety hazard.
What does the law say?
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As with any other aspect of vehicle safety, the police keep a keen eye out to make sure people’s tyres are in roadworthy condition.
The legal limit for tyre tread depth in the UK is 1.6mm for both the front and rear wheels. If you breach this, not only can you be given three penalty points on your driving licence, but you can also be fined up to £2,500 per tyre – that’s a possible total fine of £10,000!
This may sound like it should be enough to deter people from breaking the rules, but data from Confused.com shows that 21 per cent of motorists – which equates to around eight million vehicles – are driving with dangerous tyres. The survey of 1,000 vehicles in 10 cities across the UK also revealed that three per cent – or 1.4 million vehicles – have at least one tyre with less than 1.6mm of tread.
How do I look after my tyres?
Tyre pressure is an easy factor to control – just visit an air pump on a regular basis and check all four tyres’ pressure levels. Not only will this allow you to make sure your tyres are inflated enough, but a low reading will also highlight any punctures or cuts in the rubber that you might not have noticed.
Large cuts, bulges or other major tyre damage are also fairly easy to identify. Even if they’re not immediately visible, feeling around the tyres with your hand. If there is a problem and you don’t find it, the other big clue is the car feeling odd when you drive it.
Tyre tread is the most difficult aspect to monitor. A tyre with low tread won’t be immediately obvious for an untrained eye and it’s also not easy to measure without the right equipment. However, there is a beautifully simple trick that works a treat. Take a 20p coin and place it in the outermost groove of the tyre. If the border around the edge of the coin is hidden, the tread is adequate, but if it’s visible, you ought to go to a garage and get a new tyre.