TyreSafe Promotes Bike Tyre Awareness

In the run-up to April’s Bike Tyre Safety Month, TyreSafe is calling on tyre retailers to help raise awareness of the importance of tyres in bike safety. Statistic from VOSA reveal that in 2007/08, defective or illegal tyres was recorded as the fourth most common MoT failure defect. Worryingly, the number of MoT failures attributed to defective tyres has grown year on year for the past three years, increasing from 2.8 per cent of motorcycles tested in 2005/06 to 4.8 per cent in 2007/08. Meanwhile, motorcycle fatality rates remain high, with Department for Transport figures showing that in 2007, 588 motorcyclists died in road traffic accidents, accounting for 20 percent of all fatalities on the road.

Dealers interested in participating in Bike Tyre Safety Month can download free campaign materials from the TyreSafe website at www.tyresafe.org or by calling Christine Joyce on 0845 301 6852. TyreSafe is hoping that the campaign will have a similar positive effect to Tyre Safety Month held last October, which resulted in nearly 100 requests for posters and leaflets, and has helped increase traffic to the TyreSafe website by 57 per cent from 2007.

“Any bikers carrying pillion or panier loads should also check the recommend tyre pressure level for the bike when fully loaded. The trade can play their part in helping to reduce the alarming number of motorcycle fatalities by joining our campaign to encourage bikers to consider the importance of tyre safety,” TyreSafe chairman, Rob Beddis commented.