Tyre Safety Month at John Clark Motor Group



TYRE SAFETY HELPS TO REDUCE EMISSIONS AND FUEL BILLS

October 2016 is Tyre Safety Month here at John Clark. Our aim is to help boost awareness of the importance of ensuring the tyres on your car or van are well maintained to keep you as safe as possible on the roads.

Winter is coming, with Autumn already upon us, now is the time to prepare and make sure the tyres you have are suitable and safe. In 2016, surveys showed that potentially over 10 million illegal and dangerous tyres on Britain’s roads.

If you need new tyres, you can buy them online from John Clark Motor Group.

The tread depth on your tyres is one of the key safety factors that determines just how well your vehicle will perform in wet conditions. The legal minimum tread depth for cars in the UK is 1.6mm across the central three quarters of the tyre around its entire circumference.

Do you know how much tread is left on your tyres? An easy way to find out is to take a 20p coin and place it into the grooves of the tyres. If you can see the outer band of the 20p coin when it's placed in the tyre, then the tyres may be dangerous and illegal and should be inspected by a tyre professional.

ROUTINE CHECKS HELP PREVENT ACCIDENTS ON THE ROAD, SO DONT CHANCE IT, CHECK IT!

MAINTAIN YOUR TYRES TO KEEP SAFE THIS WINTER

These grooves known as tread are designed to help move water away from the place where the tyre meets the ground so that you vehicle is able to grip effectively to the road. If the tread depth is insufficient it means that the water is not able to be moved away and you could potentially lose all grip on the road surface. This is known as aquaplaning and as this video demonstrates it is extremely dangerous.

AQUAPLANING AND ICY CONDITIONS

Wet roads, cold temperatures, snow and ice can all contribute to potentially dangerous slip ups such as loss of grip, aquaplaning and longer stopping distances. When the temperature drops below 7°C, the tread compound in normal tyres begins to harden, providing less grip. Winter tyres are the safest option from October through to March due to cold temperatures.

It’s not just your car of van which needs to be properly maintained. Anything that you could be towing such as a trailer or caravan will also need to have a safe amount of tread otherwise things could become very dangerous.

What’s more, if your vehicle is found to have tyres below the minimum safety standard, you could face a fine of up to £2,500 and 3 penalty points on your driving license for each tyre!

But it’s not just about facing fines. Ensuring your tyres are well maintained means your car will run more efficiently, reducing your CO2 emissions, your fuel bills and most importantly save lives.


REQUEST A QUOTE