Vicki Gets into Gear for Tyre Safety

UK online tyre retailer etyres has teamed up with Vicki Butler-Henderson – the face of Tyre Safety Month – to produce two tyre safety videos showing the dangers of driving on worn tyres. Both are now available to view on the eTyres website www.etyres.co.uk or through the TyreSafe website, www.tyresafe.org.

The dramatic videos, which were shot at the Motor Industry Research Association in Nuneaton, clearly and graphically depict how dangerous braking in the wet can be in a vehicle fitted with worn tyres. As Vicki says in the video, stopping on a wet road with 1.6mm tread can extend the braking distance by 8 metres compared with new tyres!

Research by TyreSafe has also shown that almost three quarters of all cars on the UK’s roads have tyres that are under-inflated, and during Tyre Safety Month the organisation seeks to hit home the message that vehicle handling can be adversely affected by under-inflated tyres, leading to a potential accident.

Tyre Safety Month will run throughout October and has received support from Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick. All major tyre retailers and independents supporting the campaign will be offering free tyre safety and pressure checks. Volkswagen and Kia franchise dealers are also supporting the initiative. The TyreSafe website contains tyre safety information together with a facility that allows motorists to check the correct tyre pressure for their vehicle by entering the registration number.