TyreSafe laments illegal tyre figures, promotes tyre safety month

Commenting on road safety statistics showing that tyres cause more than 1000 casualties and 183 deaths a year, TyreSafe chairman Stuart Jackson lamented the reality that the figures have not gone down during the NTDA Tyre Industry Conference.

However, he applauded the industry’s efforts to work together by backing initiatives such as TyreSafe’s Tyre Safety Month in order raise awareness and reduce harm.

One ongoing area of interest for Jackson is that of young drivers. While one in five overall drivers has never checked the condition of their tyres, TyreSafe figures suggest that this figure rises to three in five when it comes to young drivers. When you combine this with the fact that some 27 per cent of tyres on the road are illegal (which amounts to roughly 10 million units), they provide a clear call to action.

Add in the ongoing dangers of part worn tyres (the overwhelming majority of which are sold through illegal and non-compliant retailers) and you can see the reason why TyreSafe commissioned the Fit & Hope video series in order to raise awareness in this area. TyreSafe’s suite of awareness-raising materials as well as high-profile media leveraging the exposure of Tyre Safety Month (Sky News are due to interview the organisation about this initiative) is designed to help turn the tide when it comes to tyre-related road casualty statistics in the future.