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Tyre safety warning for returning students

16th September 2014 Print
Student drivers

Students returning to university after the summer break are being encouraged to check that their car’s tyres are safe and legal before embarking on their journey following research among young drivers at the recent V-Festival, which found that a fifth had never checked their car’s tyre tread depths or pressures.

Incredibly, just one in four respondents claimed to have made these checks within the last month, the maximum period recommend between inspections. Meanwhile, more than one in ten amazingly believed that it’s their parents’ responsibility to make sure their car tyres are safe and legal.

“Being a safe driver isn’t just about sticking to speed limits and ignoring your mobile phone,” comments Stuart Jackson, chairman, TyreSafe. “There’s also a host of other important responsibilities such as making regular checks and carrying out basic maintenance on your tyres. When going back to university, it’s likely that the car is heavily laden or travelling a long distance, making it perhaps more important than ever that these checks are completed.”

Before returning to university, TyreSafe is recommending that young drivers carry out three quick, but important, checks: Firstly, pressures should be checked to ensure they are in line with the vehicle manufacturers recommended settings. These details can be found in the vehicle handbook, inside the fuel filler cap or on a plate located on the driver’s door sill.

Tyre tread depths should then be checked to ensure they exceed the minimum legal amount of 1.6mm. To inspect this, simply place a 20p coin into the main tread grooves of the tyre. If the outer band of the 20p coin is obscured when inserted in to the tread, then the tyre has sufficient tread depth. However, if the outer band is visible, it may be below the legal minimum and should be inspected immediately by a qualified tyre professional.

Finally, the overall condition of the tyre should be inspected, paying particular attention to any cuts, lumps or bulges in the tyre. If any of these are present, again, the tyre should be inspected immediately.

Young drivers looking for more information about tyre care and maintenance can find a dedicated section on the TyreSafe website (tyresafe.org) which includes an advice video with TV actor Tyger Drew-Honey.

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Student drivers