TIC Start Tyre Checks

The TIC’s tyre safety awareness campaign is once again taking up the challenge of raising through a series of tyre checks on the roads of the North West of England next month.

The four principle police forces in the North West – Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside – will combine with the council to mount a hard hitting campaign detailing the increased risk of having an accident, particularly in the wet, if a vehicle has worn tyres. Recent research by the AA Motoring Trust indicates that worn tyres contribute to one in ten accidents in wet conditions.

Part of the campaign will involve roadside tyre checks in the North West area with the police and experts from the TIC checking for illegal tyres. Motorists found to have a tyre that falls below the 1.6mm minimum tread depth could face a £2,500 fine and three penalty points.

In a similar series of checks last year the number of defective tyres in the North West of England was some 12 per cent, roughly the national average. However, the numbers of tyres on cars and vans with a tyre tread depth between 2mm and 1.6mm was over 14 per cent.