GEM: Check tyre pressure every month

In support of October’s Tyre Safety Month, road safety and breakdown recovery provider GEM Motoring Assist is encouraging drivers to ensure they carry out regular checks on their tyres. By doing so, GEM is reminding motorists that correct tyre pressure is not only vital for safety, but is also the best way to maximise fuel economy.

GEM road safety officer Neil Worth comments: “Under-inflated tyres will reduce your vehicle’s ability to grip the road, and will also compromise handling. This can result in unpredictable vehicle behaviour, and increases the risk of a tyre blowout, where sudden rapid deflation occurs.

“Over-inflated tyres are dangerous, too, as they have a smaller contact area with the road, leading to increased stopping distance and reduced grip. There’s likely to be a lot more wear across the central part of the tyre, leading to a shorter lifespan.

Worth encourages drivers to check their vehicle owner’s manual, and find out what the correct pressures for front and rear tyres should be. “Make a regular check to ensure you keep your tyres at those pressures,” he says. “You can also enter your vehicle details on the TyreSafe website to find your correct tyre pressures.”

“We suggest a check at least every month, as well as before any long journey. By doing so, you’ll be giving all the safety systems on your vehicle the best chance of working to their maximum potential, you’ll help ensure your tyres last longer and you’ll be ensuring your running costs don’t increase unnecessarily.

“After all, properly inflated tyres require less energy than under-inflated tyres to make them turn, so your vehicle will use less fuel.”