Delticom: Danger on the Roads, as One in Four Drivers Let Tyres Get below Legal Tread Depth

Over half of British motorists are putting their lives and those of other road users in serious danger by letting their tyres drop below the regulation tread depth before changing them, a survey by mytyres.co.uk has found.

When asked what would prompt them to change tyres, just 54% stated ‘low tread depth’. Even more surprisingly, only 62% would change their tyres due to bulges and cracks.

"Tyres are without a doubt one of the most important safety component on a vehicle, so it is worrying that such a large number of car drivers could be on the roads with illegal tyres.” said a spokesman for Delticom AG who operate in the UK as mytyres.co.uk. "The UK law requires that car tyres must have a minimum of 1.6mm of tread, but experts also recommend that drivers should consider changing tyres when they fall below 2.5mm in depth. Failure to comply with the law means that a driver could face a £2,500 fine and three penalty points on their licence.”

Among the main survey findings:

• Over half of us would leave a change until their tyres reach below the regulation depth
• Only two thirds of us would get a tyre change due to significant damage i.e. sidewall bulges and cracks
• 42% will only change a tyre if the depth falls below legal tread depth

The worse culprits it seems are men and older drivers. 59% of male drivers would leave changing a tyre until it is below regulation depth, as opposed to 49% of women. And 57% of drivers aged over 45 would, as opposed to 49% of drivers under 45. Older drivers are also more likely to leave a tyre with significant damage without changing it – 67% of over 45s admit this, as opposed to 55% under 45.

"What is most shocking is that such large numbers of motorists will admit to not changing their tyres even when there is significant damage,” a spokesman continued. "It is extremely dangerous to drive with faulty or severely worn tyres as this can result in serious and, potentially, fatal accidents. We strongly urge drivers to do all they can to prevent these types of accidents by regularly checking tyre tread depth and general condition, motorists can ensure their tyres are not creating danger on the roads.

"At mytyres, we offer customers a convenient solution to tyre buying through our online tyre store.” said a spokesman for mytyres.co.uk "An increasing number of consumers are now choosing to buy tyres this way, due to the advantage of being able to compare prices quickly – therefore saving time – ordering from the comfort of their own homes, access to a wider range of products, and the option of getting the tyres delivered to the customers home or directly to a local fitting station to have them professionally fitted and balanced.”

*Survey undertaken by CCBfastMAP Limited in April 2011