Tyre Safety Month: October 2025
Car tyres are an essential component for safe driving, and unsafe tyres can cause many wider issues for your vehicle and driving experience. October is Tyre Safety Month, so let’s explore everything you can do to ensure your tyres are in top condition.
What is Tyre Safety Month?
Tyre Safety Month is a campaign organised by the UK charity TyreSafe. It lasts for the duration of October and was kick-started 15 years ago, back in October 2010. This annual event focuses on encouraging drivers to check their tyres regularly to reduce the number of roadside accidents.
This year, TyreSafe is focusing on research regarding how daily stress interferes with vehicle maintenance habits, with the campaign slogan ‘Under pressure? Don’t let your tyres be one of them.’
They aim to emphasise the importance of routine vehicle checks, despite the life pressures that may distract you. Although daily committments are time-consuming, it’s still vital to check your tyres' condition as only healthy tyres will perform efficiently in the event of an emergency stop. Simple and quick inspections make a world of differece and could be the difference between life and death.
The significance of checking your tyres is vital to the safety of you and other road users. To help you check your tyres, we’ve listed 3 key inspections you can easily make.
Why it’s essential to have safe tyres
Did you know that 75% of tyre defects in fatal collisions are due to a lack of maintenance? Or that 1 in 5 motorway breakdowns are tyre-related? Or even that approximately 190 people are killed or seriously injured every year in tyre-related collisions?
Tyres are the only point of contact between a car and the road, so they’re crucial for your driving performance, from braking to cornering. Having safe and legal tyres ensures that you can stop suddenly if required and prevent any potential accidents.
There are three main areas that you should check on your tyres regularly, or before making a long journey.
How can I check that my tyres are safe?
To make checking your tyres more convenient, TyreSafe launched its ‘ACT’ campaign to break down the most important steps.
· Air pressure
· Condition
· Tread depth
Tyre Pressure
For a tyre to work efficiently and safely, it must be inflated to the correct PSI. If a tyre is under-inflated, the steering will feel heavy, making handling more difficult. The tyres will also wear quickly, due to an increased surface area being in contact with the road. This means you’ll need to replace your tyres more frequently and spend more money. Your vehicle may let you know automatically when your tyre pressure is too low via a tyre pressure monitoring system, or TPMS. At National Tyres, we offer a TPMS valve service and replacement so that there’s one less thing for you to worry about.
If a tyre is over-inflated, the tread in the middle of the tyre will wear faster than the outside of the tyre. This will again lead to more frequent tyre replacements, as uneven tread will result in a loss of handling. The ride will also feel stiffer and less responsive, making for an uncomfortable drive.
To find the correct PSI for your car, you should check your car’s manual. The correct tyre pressure will be listed there. It may also be found inside the fuel door. Alternatively, you can check your tyre pressure by reg plate here.
You can carry out a tyre pressure check and inflation at home using our tyre inflators and pressure gauges.
Tyre Condition
Any damage to your tyres could lead to a loss of handling, limited rolling resistance, or even a tyre blowout. Before heading out on a long journey, you should check your tyres for these signs of damage:
- Cracks and cuts
- Bulges or blisters
- Punctures (embedded debris, nails, glass)
- Irregular tread wear
- Vibrations
- Excessive or strange noises while driving
If your tyre has any of these, it is not suitable for driving and could be a major safety risk. Bring your car in for a free tyre check, and if necessary, we’ll carry out a no-obligation tyre puncture repair so that you can keep on driving.
Pay close attention to any damage on your tyre sidewall as this threatens the structural integrity of your tyre and is likely to lead to a blowout. Tyres with sidewall damage are unsafe to repair and will have to be replaced.
It’s also a proactive decision to check your spare tyre while you’re at it, as you never know when you’ll need an emergency tyre! Otherwise, keep an emergency tyre puncture repair kit in your car for those unexpected flat tyres.
Shop for high-quality tyres online or at your local National Tyres branch. We stock budget, mid-range, and premium tyres from a variety of market-leading brands, all at an unbeatable value. All parts fitted at a National Tyres autocentre are quality guaranteed for a minimum of 2 years or 24,000 miles, whichever arrives first.
With same-day tyre fittings available, visiting National Tyres is convenient and hassle-free. Plus, our mobile experts are on hand to meet you at home or at your workplace, so there’s no need to schedule time to visit a National Tyres Autocentre.
Tyre Tread Depth
According to a TyreSafe survey, there are over 6 million tyres in the UK being used with an illegal tread. Tyre tread depth refers to the grooves on your tyres. The minimum legal tread depth is 1.6mm. Ideally, you should have your tyres replaced when the tread drops below 3mm, as you will notice a severe lack of grip and traction.
Low tread depth can be very dangerous when driving. Bald tyres can lead to a loss of performance, skidding, and potentially collisions or accidents. There will also be a decrease in braking performance and an increase in stopping distance, which will negatively impact your fuel economy.
To easily check your tread depth at home, you can use a 20p coin. Simply place the coin into the tyre groove, and if the outer band of the coin is covered, you likely have a legal tyre tread depth. If you can see the outer band of the coin, then your tyre has less than 1.6mm of tread depth and needs replacing immediately.
FREE Tyre Safety Check
If you’re looking for peace of mind and a thorough tyre check, you can bring your car to your local National branch for a FREE tyre safety check. We’ll check your tyre depth, pressure and condition, all for free! We can also check your brakes for free, to ensure you can stop quickly and safely.
Don’t get caught out as cold and icy weather approaches. Make sure that your tyres are in an ideal condition to perform at their best so that you, your passengers, and other road users can travel safely.
Statistics are found at National Highways/TRRL, TyreSafe, and DFT Reported Road Casualties GB Report 2024.
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