Tyre Safety in Durham – National Tyre Safety Month
October is National Tyre Safety Month, which is organised by TyreSafe. During this period motorists will be encouraged to have regular checks carried out on their tyres.
TyreSafe surveys have revealed that one in five drivers have never checked the tyres of their vehicle. They are nearly 10 million dangerous and illegal tyres that are likely to be driven on Britains roads during 2015.
This year the campaign is asking the direct question ” How often do you do it?” The answer should be at least once a month and before long journeys. Our team at Car Tyre World are here to support National Tyre Safety Month and answer any questions our customers may have about the safety of their tyres.
So why is tyre safety important for drivers?
The brakes on a vehicle stop the wheels, it is the tyres that actually stop the vehicle itself. If your tyres are not safe it is putting the safety of you and your passengers at risk. There are also legal consequences involved with tyre safety, if tyres are not roadworthy you can be fined and incur penalty points on your license.
When should tyres be checked?
Your tyres should be ideally checked every week, at the minimum once a month and especially before going on long journeys.
When checking tyres what do you need to look for?
Ideally you should be checking for the following:
- Pressure
- Tread
- Any cuts
- Bulges
You can have any under-inflated tyre without it looking flat, so you need to take careful readings of your tyres. Maintaining the correct pressure will help your tyres wear longer, save you fuel and give enhanced handing of the vehicle and most of all help prevent accidents.
The legal tread depth for tyres is 1.6mm across 75% of the tyre. The deeper the treads on the tyre are the more grip it will have on the road.
Having a good tread will give better driving performance, the vehicle will grip the road better and stopping distances will be shorter with a deeper tread.
Should i have summer and winter tyres?
For better performance you should have ideally summer tyres for the months April to October. Then Winter fitted from November through to March during the colder spell.
Winter tyres give better performance on wet roads, snow and ice. In recent years these have come more and more popular at our tyre dealership in Durham.
If you would like more information on looking after your tyres visit tyresafe.org for call into see us at Car Tyre World, Tudhoe Industrial Estate, Durham.
