News & Events

At the start of this year's tyre safety week in Northern Ireland, the Tyre Industry Council has issued a warning about driving in winter months with defective or badly worn tyres.

Research released by the TIC has shown that whilst only 5% of cars on the roads in Northern Ireland have a defective tyre, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of vehicles with badly worn tyres, having a tread depth between 1.7mm and 2mm - now almost 17%, one of the highest figures recorded in the UK.

Tyres are the only contact with the road surface says the TIC - Britain's foremost tyre safety organisation - and so inadequate tread could contribute to an accident particularly in the wet.

This week's Tyre Safety campaign has the support of the Police Service of Northern Ireland who will be carrying out roadside tyre checks to help punch home the message of the importance of tyre safety. Motorists unsure about whether their tyres are legal can call into anyone of the tyre retailers supporting the campaign in Northern Ireland, full details are available by logging onto the TIC website at www.tyresafety.com. The Tyre Industry Council has assisted with the funding of a winter driving leaflet now being made available to motorists throughout Northern Ireland.

Editors Note

UK tyre requires that car and van tyre must have a minimum of 1.6mm of tread throughout a continuous band comprising the centre three quarters of the breadth of the tread and around the entire outer circumference of the tyre. In the case of motorcycles, the minimum tread depth is 1mm.