TyreSafe: Cold Weather Tyres Offer Safer Alternative

With Winter upon us TyreSafe is advising motorists to consider fitting cold weather tyres in order to improve road safety. Slippery roads accounted for 55 per cent of road traffic accidents in which road environment was a contributory factor in 2007, according to Department for Transport (DfT) figures. In November 2007, the DfT recorded a spike in personal injury accidents as drivers were caught out by the drop in temperature and increased rainfall, with 16,559 accidents recorded, nearly 700 more accidents than at any other time in the year.

“Fitting cold weather tyres can provide significant safety benefits for motorists,” explained Rob Beddis, TyreSafe chairman. “With temperatures frequently below 7°C in the UK over the winter, particularly in rush hour when the traffic is at its heaviest, cold weather tyres offer a sensible alternative on the wet roads. They are designed to perform more effectively in the cold and wet weather, dramatically improving stopping distances. Motorists can also benefit from using cold weather tyres in snowy conditions, as they have many more delicate cuts in the tread which are designed to absorb snow, allowing the tyres to maintain their grip when driving over snow-covered roads.”

Braking tests conducted by a leading tyre manufacturer and TyreSafe member revealed that at 5°C a vehicle fitted with cold weather tyres travelling at 62 mph stopped a full five metres earlier than the same vehicle with standard tyres.