Research suggests regular MOT is safety-critical for many

3.6 million UK drivers wait until MOT failure before changing their tyres according to ICM survey

Research suggests regular MOT is safety-critical for many

Research has revealed that 3.6 million motorists wait until MOT failure before changing their tyres, based on nationally weighting an ICM survey of 2,000 people.

Illegal tyres leave motorists risking three penalty points and £2,500 in fines and can seriously compromise vehicle safety and handling.

With the end of summer and cooler wetter weather, motorists should think carefully about their tyre health and not leave it until the MOT for them to be checked.

The legal limit for minimum depth of the tread on car tyres is 1.6 millimetres, across the central ¾ of the tread around the complete circumference of the tyre. However, tyre performance deteriorates well before reaching this limit.

At 1.6 mm in wet weather it takes almost 40 per cent further to stop at 50 mph than it does at 7mm – some 8 car lengths of increased stopping distance.

The key role of MOT in detecting tyre safety issues comes after the government’s summer announcement on plans to consult to moving the MOT regime to 4-1-1.

In his Garage Wire Views ‘Driving Forces’ piece, IGA director Stuart James reminds us of a 2011 study which found a 4-1-1 system would result in, on average, 55 more fatalities and 2,000 more injuries every year.

You can read about the latest efforts to coordinate the fight against a move to 4-1-1 now using the ‘More Details’ button below, or please let us know what you think with a comment.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

Have your say!

0 0

Lost Password

Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.