Tips on how to check your tyres

Tyres are arguably the most important safety component on a car and yet 1 in 5 drivers have admitted that they have only occasionally checked the tread depth of the tyres on their car – 12% of drivers have never ever checked the tread depth! The research was carried out by fast.MAP for the leading online tyre retailer mytyres.co.uk.

UK law requires that tyres must have a minimum of 1.6mm of tread on all running tyres and motorists face a £2,500 fine and 3 penalty points on their licence if they break the law. The possibility of an accident, particularly in the wet, is also increased if the tread depth falls below the legal minimum.

On the positive side, the research did indicate that 20% of drivers had checked the tread depth of their tyres within the previous week. A number of simple checks recommended by mytyres.co.uk could mean the difference between a safe journey and a potential skidding accident on a wet road.

mytyres.co.uk offers the following six point tyre safety check:

Check and adjust tyre pressures against the recommendation in the owner’s handbook

Clean dirt from around valves and fit valve caps all round

Ensure that tyres have at least 2.5 or 3mm of tyre tread. Remember the law requires a minimum 1.6mm of tread

Have steering alignment checked if the front tyres show signs of excessive or uneven wear

Have front wheels and tyres balanced if there are signs of vibration, wheel wobble or patchy tyre wear