Tyresafe chairman makes One Show appearance marking Tyre safety month

Tyresafe chairman Stuart Jackson made an appearance during the opening segment on tyre safety of BBC One’s flagship early-evening magazine programme, The One Show. The five-minute report highlighted the increase in stopping distances when using tyres with insufficient tread depth. One startled motorist, who had been found by the show’s production team to be driving on illegal tyres, was then shown how to check their tyre tread depth using TyreSafe’s 20p test, which was repeated later in the studio. Tyresafe should be congratulated for the positive effect this coverage will undoubtedly have, though Simon Boseman, who presented the item, incorrectly stated that the legal tread depth limit is 3mm rather than 1.6mm, and then administered the 20p test on only the shoulder of the tyre, when two-thirds of the cross-section of the tread must be above the limit.

“Driving on defective and illegal tyres continues to be a massive problem in the UK and is the reason for scores of road casualties each year,” explained Jackson. “Highlighting the problem on such a high-profile, prime time TV slot will give our campaigns a major boost and help us to educate and remind drivers about their tyre maintenance responsibilities.”

The One Show, which broadcasts every weekday evening to an audience of around 5 million viewers, conducted some tests on illegal tyres at Rockingham race circuit in Northamptonshire. The programme makers also visited National Tyres and Autocare in Northampton to see for themselves the poor condition of tyres being removed from vehicles every day. This was the second item on tyres that the show has broadcast this year, the first coming on 14 April, when Goodyear Dunlop’s James Bailey explained the tyre label to Carol Vorderman.

Figures recently released by the Department for Transport showed that in 2010, more than 1,200 motorists were injured in tyre related accidents. The number of drivers killed in the UK over the last five years as a result of illegal, defective or under-inflated tyres now stands at 164.

During tyre safety month, hundreds of garages and tyre dealers around the UK are offering drivers free tyre safety checks. Additionally, TyreSafe has developed a number of new online resources, such as the 20p test and its ‘Magnificent 7’ tyre tips, to help keep drivers safe and legal.

UK web users can view the 24 October edition of The One Show over the next week on the BBC’s iPlayer service here.

Related news:

• Tyre convictions at a four year high
• DfT: defective tyres contribute to more than 1,200 road casualties
• McIntyres animation debuts as Tyre Safety Month begins
• TyreSafe launches website revamp, October’s Tyre Safety Month
• Goodyear Dunlop’s James Bailey informs One Show viewers about tyre labelling