Tyres Under Inflated and Insufficiently Checked – Study

Yet another reminder of the importance of frequently checking tyre pressure has come from the results of a survey conducted by the Institute of Advanced Motorists’ Trust. The survey of approximately 500 drivers showed that on average only 18 per cent of men and 4 per cent of women are checking vehicle tyre pressure once a week, the recommended frequency. And only a minority of motorists – 37 per cent of men and 32 per cent of women – conduct monthly pressure checks.

Air pressure facilities at garages were found to be largely accurate, with 80 per cent accurate to within 5 psi at 30 psi, and almost all the others accurate to within 7 psi. However the majority of motorists appear to be unaware that the recommended inflation pressures given by car manufacturers and at garage facilities are for “cold” levels, when even a short drive from home to the garage can cause tyres to become heated. The result of inflating heated tyres to cold levels is that they can end up being between 12 and 15 per cent under inflated.

The study also highlighted motorists’ attitudes towards paying to use garage air pumps. While two years ago the majority of garage tyre inflation facilities were offered free for customer use, today the trend is towards a coin activated service, with prices generally being about 20p for two minutes’ use and 50p for three minutes. And while the majority of drivers felt that this amount was a reasonable price to pay for reliable and accurate facilities, if prices rose as high as £1 only one-eighth of mean and a third of women would be prepared to pay.