More than half of British drivers don’t get problems with their cars checked until three months after they have appeared, according to new research. A survey of more than 1,000 British drivers conducted by BookMyGarage.com, found that Britons are risking road accidents, worsening damage and steeper repair bills, as a result of not getting issues fixed in good time when they appear.
Anyone who doubts the need for a campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of worn or badly-maintained tyres should consider the following statistics, released by TyreSafe and sourced from Department for Transport ‘Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain’.
Four Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship drivers have supported Road Safety Scotland’s ‘Race on the Track, Stay Safe on the Road’ initiative, crossing the Forth Road Bridge ahead of this weekend’s event at Knockhill.
A joint, ongoing study on the social psychology of road safety conducted by Goodyear and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) has identified different ways that people respond when interacting with other drivers on the road. The information gained so far comes from the first stage of a two-part study into driving behaviour. LSE researchers worked with focus groups and conducted in-depth interviews to identify how drivers influence each other’s behaviour on the road.
In his position as Bridgestone’s north region managing director, as well as chair of the SMMT Aftermarket Section, Robin Shaw has expressed concern at Chancellor George Osborne’s plans in last month’s Budget to extend the deadline for new cars and motorcycles to be MOT tested after four years instead of three. Shaw believes the added 12 months will result in more cars running on tyres with tread depths below the 1.6mm legal limit.
Goodyear and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) are cooperating on road user behaviour research. The project, managed by LSE Consulting, is designed to contribute to the road safety debate in Europe with unique empirical insights. “Current road safety research is largely focused upon how drivers use their vehicles within a physical, […]
Experienced MOT testers across the UK say that delaying the first test from year 3 to year 4, adds to the risk a vehicle or parts will become worn out or defective. With some figures suggesting that one in five vehicles fail the MOT in the first 3 years, adding another year will not only exacerbate the problem, but also mean that many vehicles will no longer be covered by most vehicle manufactures 3 year warranties.
Following the launch of the WheelRright’s free drive-over pressure check initiative at Keele services M6 south in March, the company has released details of the programme’s first findings.
TyreSafe’s annual industry briefing this month made it clear that illegal tread depth remains a problem in the UK. In its survey of Britain, TyreSafe found that 27.1 per cent of tyres inspected had less than the legal limit, 1.6mm of tread, while another 39.0 per cent were close to the limit (between 1.6 and 2.0mm. Given this context, the presence of a new, technologically advanced tread depth measurement system, present in a handheld device called the TreadReader, and in drive-over products manufactured by Hunter and distributed in the UK by Pro-Align, is significant. Sue Pryce, marketing director of the British firm behind the technology, Sigmavision, provides an additional perspective on the “unsettling” tread depth statistics.
Tyre Safety Month 2015 registration began on 9 July, following TyreSafe’s annual briefing.
Running throughout October, Tyre Safety Month is the tyre industry’s main annual campaign, providing a focal point for the entire industry and an ideal platform to educate road users about the importance of correct tyre care and maintenance. The awareness raising campaign brings road safety professionals, government officials, emergency services, businesses, tyre dealers and others together to organise local awareness-raising events throughout the UK.
Owing to the fact that TyreSafe now has over 100 active members (many of which are large and/or influential businesses in their respective areas), the organisation is better placed than ever to effect change and there certainly seems to have been progress towards the association’s goal of changing hearts and minds in relation to tyres. As Stuart Jackson said during his presentation at the recent TyreSafe annual briefing, “let’s not talk about it being a commodity, it is a safety critical product”.
The London Road Safety Council has announced the appointment of James Cracknell OBE as President of the organisation, succeeding Nick Ross as President.
James Cracknell is one of Britain’s most successful ever athletes, with two Olympic Gold Medals and six World Championship titles. Since retiring from competitive rowing, he has distinguished himself as an inspiring sportsman, athlete, adventurer and broadcaster.
Following news that the Government plans to consult on extending the MoT period from three years to four, HPI, provider of the HPI Check, warns that the risk of clocking fraud could escalate significantly.
The new plans were announced in the budget, which prompted an industry backlash concerning the risk to consumer safety, if vehicles are left without an MoT for an extra year. However, HPI sees a hidden threat from clockers, who will take advantage of the extension to turn back the mileage and sell the vehicles on to unsuspecting buyers.
Duncan Wilkes, CEO of Micheldever Tyre Services Ltd, has spoken out against government proposals to extend the time until the first MOT, calling such a move “a backwards step for road safety and a false economy.”
Speaking a week after the chancellor of the Exchequer referred the MOT proposal in his annual budget, Wilkes said: “It is incorrect to assume the test is irrelevant for new cars: Vosa’s own data indicates that 20 per cent of three-year-old cars fail their MOT tests. This means that moving the first test to four years would result in an extra half a million unsafe cars on UK roads.”
Yesterday, 9 July 2015, TyreSafe held its annual industry briefing at the National Motorcycle Museum near Solihull. During the event TyreSafe announced the fun, shall we say “suggestive” theme for this year’s Tyre Safety Month and presented case studies of previous Tyre Safety Month activities alongside an update from Highways England’s Stuart Lovatt. However, as interesting as this was, the results of TyreSafe’s most recent tread depth survey, showing that there are potentially up to 10 million illegal and dangerous tyres on Britain’s roads – around 27 per cent of the whole market – really stood out.
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