Avoid festive roadside misery by checking tyre pressures

The inconvenience of standing by the roadside this Christmas can be reduced by conducting a simple tyre pressure checks in the run up to the holiday season.

Motorists are being reminded to check their tyre pressures before setting off on long journeys this holiday period in order to avoid being stranded by the roadside. Many families experience delays and inconvenience from tyre failures during the festive period as tyres have not been correctly inflated to take account of extra passengers and luggage.

“Although fewer cars are on the road over the Christmas period, the number suffering from tyre related problems is alarming,” comments Rob Beddis, chairman, TyreSafe. “In many cases this is because drivers have not adjusted their tyre pressures to take account of the additional load being transported.”

Keeping tyres correctly inflated is particularly important at this time of year as many families drive long distances carrying luggage for overnight stays and presents for relatives. When laden cars are driven without corrections being made to tyre pressures, the chances of suffering a tyre blowout are greatly increased as excessive heat builds up inside the tyre causing it to fail spectactularly. Vehicle manufacturers take account of this additional load and provide laden tyre pressure instructions in the vehicle handbook, but too few motorists follow this advice.

“Increasing the tyre pressure to the required level is a straightforward job which only takes a few minutes. We would encourage all motorists to make sure their tyres are safely inflated before setting off on a long journey,” concludes Beddis.

Driver can find details of the correct tyre pressure for their car in either the owner’s manual, inside the fuel filler cap, or on the inner sill. Tyre pressures should be checked when the tyres are cold or when the vehicle has driven less than two miles.