TyreSafe partners with National Motorcyclists Council to promote safe, sustainable biking

TyreSafe and the National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) have entered a new partnership to promote safe and sustainable biking. The mutual support between the organisations focuses on the need for extra emphasis on vehicle maintenance and a reduction in the number of avoidable defects identified by the rate of motorcycle MOT failures, surprisingly comparable with that of cars; a third fail their first inspection according to DVSA data. Of all the defects leading to an initial MOT failure, the largest proportion of those classified as ‘dangerous’ are tyres at 29 per cent.

TyreSafe says its partnership with NMC offers an opportunity to raise awareness among motorcyclists, especially owners of older bikes, that constant maintenance is crucial not only for their safety but to reduce unnecessary riding bills. Riding with underinflated tyres compromises the performance of the motorcycle and increases fuel consumption and tyre wear. It says more frequent stops to refuel or to replace tyres are both undesirable and avoidable.

Stuart Lovatt, TyreSafe chair, said: “Tyre safety is a win-win-win. Proper maintenance reduces the rider’s risk of being involved in an incident, reducing running costs and minimises environmental impact. This new partnership with the NMC will help increase the reach of our life-saving ‘safe tyres save lives’ message across different rider groups.”

NMC executive director Craig Carey-Clinch said: “With our shared aspirations for motorcycle safety, the NMC is delighted to be in partnership with TyreSafe. This further strengthens the growing coalition of riders and road safety stakeholders with the aim of bringing the importance of motorcycle specific safety, as part of wider road safety delivery, to the attention of government and others. Tyre safety is a vital part of motorcycling and with TyreSafe’s growing focus on rider information, plus their links with the wider industry, the Council looks forward to a hugely productive relationship.”

The NMC is a coalition of representative national motorcyclists organisations, which works together on commonly held positions on motorcyclists’ issues. These include raising awareness of bikers needs to government. Members include IAM RoadSmart, British Motorcycle Federation and the Motorcycle Industry Association.