The UK and Ireland are reportedly Europe’s worst offenders when it comes to driving with dangerous tyres. That’s the verdict of tyre manufacturer Michelin, which is embarking on its sixth year of running Fill Up With Air, a European tyre safety campaign. Based on checks of 50,000 cars across 27 countries, only Latvia, Greece, Lithuania and Estonia have a worse record with Austria and Germany being consistently the most safety conscious. Out of 5,000 UK cars surveyed by Michelin in 2007/08, more than 43 per cent were found to have “dangerously” under-inflated tyres, risking an accident. (For the purposes of this campaign dangerous means between 8 and 14 psi off recommend pressures).

Motoring journalist Vicki Butler-Henderson, who is promoting the campaign, said: “Tyres are the only contact a vehicle has with the road and it always amazes me how little care we take as a nation in terms of looking after them. We have to remember that cars are potential lethal weapons and it is our duty to ensure that we make them as safe as possible and minimise the risk of potentially lethal accidents.”