Drivers have been warned that even though the days are now getting brighter with the arrival of Springtime, it does not mean that the roads are any safer, with April traditionally bringing in more unsettled and unpredictable weather patterns.
With the quick changing weather, comes a further need for motorists to be aware of their tyres’ conditions and Dan Jones, Operations Manager at TrackDays.co.uk, warned that motorists could face hefty fines, reaching £10,000, as well as potentially losing their licence, if their tyres are found to be in a dangerous and illegal state.
The driving experience expert also highlighted that in the latest Department for Transport (DfT) road casualty report, nearly 25% of collisions where a vehicle defect was reported involved tyres which were either illegal, defective or underinflated.
The data could mean that nearly 9.8 million motorists are potentially at risk of severe financial penalties if they do not keep a regular eye on the condition of their tyres.
Dan commented: “Drivers shouldn’t take for granted that as we start to move into spring, we should take our eyes off the state of our tyres.
“In the same report published by the DfT, 22% of collisions were on wet or damp roads, and we all know that April showers can come when least expected.”
As TrackDays.co.uk helps oversee a host of driving experiences across the country, including driving supercars at top speeds around tracks, tyre conditions are constantly monitored to ensure everyone on their tracks are safe.
Dan has provided three quick tips which motorists can do to check their tyres are in a safe condition:
- “When looking at your tyres, there is first of all the 20p trick: if you pop a 20p coin into your tyres’ tread and cannot see the outer band of the coin then your tyre depth is road worthy.
- “Check for cuts, bulges and tears because if they’re over 25 millimetres long or cover 10% of the tyre’s section width, then they’re also deemed to be unsafe.
- “Ensure that the PSI of your tyres are at the correct levels, most cars have this information on the inside of the driver’s door. The PSI can be checked at an air pressure machine which is available at most petrol stations.”
