National Tyres and Autocare is offering free tyre checks to fleet drivers in support of Tyre Safety Month. To book a check, visit http://www.national.co.uk This free service by a trained fitter covers all
the tyres on fleet cars and vans – including the spare – ensuring your tyres are safe for the roads. The examination covers 3 key points: tread depth,
air pressure and general tyre condition.
WHY IS A TYRE CHECK IMPORTANT?
Tyres are a vehicle’s only point of contact with the road – and there’s only a postcard sized area in touch with the road surface on each tyre.
Acceleration, braking, steering and cornering are all dependent on a vehicle’s tyres, so it’s essential they are properly maintained for driver safety
and vehicle performance, especially when your job involves driving long hours. In 2010,
illegal, defective and under inflated tyres were responsible for over 1,210 road casualties in Great Britain.
‘Making sure that your tyres are safe and legal is a quick and easy job, yet we still see hundreds of accidents occurring each year because drivers
don’t make these essential safety checks’ says Stuart Jackson, chairman at TyreSafe.
WHO’S RESPONSIBLE FOR A TYRE’S CONDITION?
The driver is responsible for a vehicle’s tyre safety, regardless of whether it is a fleet vehicle or personally owned. Failure to comply with legal
standards can result in fines of up to £2,500 and 3 penalty points – and that’s per tyre. Take the worry out of checking your tyres by having them
checked by a professional at National Tyres and Autocare.
National’s free visual inspection covers other vitally important parts of a vehicle too – including brakes, battery, exhausts and shock absorbers, -
visit http://www.national.co.uk for full details.
WHAT THE CHECK COVERS
TREAD DEPTH is vitally important to the safety of a vehicle. New tyres have a tread depth of around 8mm, but as this wears down through use, the
vehicle’s stopping distance gradually increases. Once a tyre’s tread depth reaches 1.6mm, which is the legal minimum, braking distances in the wet
increase dramatically.
If you’re driving on tyres with a tread depth below 1.6mm you are putting you, your passengers and other road users in danger. Almost 20% of cars on
the UK’s roads have illegal tyres.
TYRE PRESSURE All makes and models of vehicle come with recommended tyre pressure settings which vary depending on how heavily laden the vehicle is.
Incorrect tyre pressure can reduce a tyre’s lifespan by up to 25% and can also increase fuel consumption by as much as 5%. It can also lead to an
increased risk of blow outs due to increased heat in under-inflated tyres.
GENERAL TYRE CONDITION
National’s trained fitters will also check the overall condition of your tyres, paying special attention to cuts, bulges and any embedded objects, and
advise you whether these are a safety concern.