Correct tyre pressures help drivers to stay on track

As part of Tyre Safety Month, TyreSafe warns motorists about the adverse effects in vehicle handling occurring as a result of driving on under-inflated tyres.

Drivers are facing an increased risk of being involved in a serious or even fatal accident by failing to regularly check their tyre pressures. This stark warning has been issued by TyreSafe, the UK’s leading tyre safety organisation, as part of Tyre Safety Month, which is being held throughout October.

“Although the majority of motorists are uninterested in their vehicle’s tyres, it is important to remember that they are a complex component of the vehicle that have been engineered to work in harmony with the vehicle’s sophisticated brake, steering and suspension systems and must be taken seriously,” explains Rob Beddis, chairman, TyreSafe. “Without regularly ensuring that tyres are correctly inflated, motorists risk compromising the way that their car behaves on the road. The first time they may become aware of this performance deficit could be when they lose control of the vehicle on an innocuous bend and are heading towards a hedgerow or into the path of an oncoming vehicle.”

While many motorists understand that insufficient tread depth can hamper a vehicle’s stopping distance, many are unaware of the effect that tyre pressure can have on vehicle performance. For a car travelling at 30mph, the tyre’s contact patch has only fourteen hundredths of a second to do its job, so any influential factor such as under-inflation can produce significant changes in vehicle behaviour. When a tyre is under-inflated, the tyre contains insufficient air to support the weight of the vehicle properly, which adversely affects acceleration, braking and cornering.

New research conducted by TyreSafe highlights that reduced vehicle performance may be affecting more than half of motorists on the UK’s roads, as this was the number who admitted to not checking their tyre pressures in the last month, the maximum period recommended by TyreSafe between checks.

“Checking tyre pressures is a simple maintenance activity that is free and takes only a few minutes each month to complete,” adds Beddis. “By following these guidelines, motorists can ensure that their vehicle continues to behave in the way it should and they can continue to drive safely on the roads without any dramatic loss of performance.”

Motorists who are unsure of how to check their tyre pressures should visit one of the many tyre fitting centres and garages across the UK that are offering free tyre checks throughout Tyre Safety Month. For further information on tyre pressure, tyre safety or Tyre Safety Month, visit tyresafe.org.

TyreSafe is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of the dangers of defective and worn tyres. TyreSafe has campaigned consistently to underline the importance of tyre safety for more than 15 years and was rewarded with the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award in 2001.

TyreSafe receives positive support from many major tyre manufacturers and retailers, and has been credited with reducing the number of defective tyres in the UK over the past decade from 18 percent to 12 percent.

TyreSafe supports the government’s ACT ON CO2 campaign which promotes Smarter Driving tips to help cut CO2 emissions from driving. For more information visit dft.uk/ActOnCO2.