TIC Records Results

Results from the North West England Tyre Safety Campaign held in October 2004 have shown “a substantial reduction in the number of danger tyres on vehicles on the roads,” according to the TIC.

Police checks identified that the number of tyres below the legal minimum tread depth had fallen by just over four per cent compared with the previous year’s campaign.

The operation was supported by four police forces, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside, with the TIC arranging tyre safety clinics across the north west.

Statistics compiled during the campaign show that the number of defective tyres, identified in checks by Cheshire and Lancashire police, now stands at 12.2 per cent compared with 16.6 per cent in 2003, with the national average for illegal tyres standing at around 11 per cent. The data analysis also revealed that a further 14 per cent of cars and vans checked had at least one tyre at or below 2mm, the level at which the TIC believes tyres should be replaced.

PC Nick Woodcock of Cheshire Constabulary said: “It is encouraging to see that the number of vehicles with illegal tyres has been reduced when compared to 2003. However, the national average would suggest that we must not become complacent but further concentrate our efforts through targeted education and enforcement to show a continued reduction in the number of vehicles with worn and/or illegal tyres.”