Police Checks Reveal Defective Motorcycle Tyres Commonplace

Nottinghamshire Police has revealed worrying findings after carrying out spot checks on motorcycles on the county’s roads, reports TyreSafe. As part of Operation Retina, which aims to combat the number of motorcyclists killed on the county’s roads, more than half of all bikes randomly stopped over a one-week period during the road checks were found to have defects, including worn tyres.

This statistic mirrors data released by Vehicle Operator and Services Agency (VOSA), which indicated bike MOT failures had increased significantly – from 1,700 to 5,000 – between 2006 and 2007, and TyreSafe says this highlights the fact that riders are simply not looking after their machinery.

During the month of March, TyreSafe launched its first-ever Bike Tyre Safety Month to highlight the danger of illegal or sub-standard tyres, to provide needed advice to help prevent accidents on the road at a time of year when thousands get their bikes out after winter storage. The objectives of Bike Tyre Safety Month are objectives shared by Inspector Ben Crane of Nottinghamshire Police. He said: “Our message to people really would be to make sure they check their bikes over before they get them out on the road for spring.”

During the recent initiative TyreSafe was encouraged by the number of people downloading its “Motorcycle Tyres and Your Safety” leaflet from the www.tyresafe.org website. Due to the success of this year’s campaign, and the extensive support of tyre manufacturers and retailers, TyreSafe is now looking to run Bike Tyre Safety Month again in 2009.