Tread Carefully or Risk Lives say Top Traffic Officers Drivers who don’t regularly check that their tyres are roadworthy are playing Russian Roulette with their lives, say top traffic officers across Cleveland. Police from the Cleveland and Durham Specialist Operations Unit are warning people to ‘tread carefully’ and check their tyres are fit for purpose before the freezing and wet temperatures grip the area this winter. They will spend the next few weeks educating road users on the importance of tyre road worthiness, something which is often one of the safety elements ignored by the general public. As part of the campaign, which begins on Saturday 9th November, traffic officers will carry out checks on tyre tread depth and tyre pressure of a thousand vehicles in car parks across Cleveland. Drivers will be left with an information leaflet including the grading of their tyres and a tread buddy so they can check their own tread in the future. Parents are also being urged to check the safety of tyres on their child’s car. Inspector Lee Rukin from the Cleveland and Durham Specialist Operation’s Unit said: “The ultimate consequence of unroadworthy tyres would be a fatal collision. Drivers shouldn’t underestimate the importance of tyre safety as they are the only thing between the car and the road, those who fail to regularly check their tyres are playing Russian Roulette with their lives. “Having state of the art child safety seats and driving a car with the safest road technology means nothing if it has dangerous tyres. Our campaign is to educate road users so that the message stays with them throughout the winter months and beyond.” Ends… Note to Media….cont Any media wishing to take photographs can arrange a suitable date and time through the Corporate Communications Unit • UK legislation requires car drivers to have a minimum of 1.6mm of tread depth across the central three quarters of the tyre, around its entire circumference. The legal limit of tyre tread depth in the UK for motorcycles over 50cc is 1mm across ¾ of the width of the tread pattern and with visible tread on the remaining ¼. Drivers who fail to comply with the regulations face a fine of up to £2,500 and three penalty points for each illegal tyre. • Advice from TyreSafe states that you should examine your tyres regularly, removing stones and other objects embedded in the tread. Tyre treads are designed to give good grip on wet roads but in general wet grip decreases as tyre tread pattern wears down or as the depth of water increases. Motorists should take this into consideration and reduce speed when it is wet. TyreSafe also advise that consideration should be given to replacing tyres well before they reach the legal minimum. • Statistics revealed by the Department for Transport showed that the number of people killed or seriously injured in tyre-related accidents increased sharply in 2011 following many years of decline. Some 205 people were killed or seriously injured in a tyre-related accident during 2011. • TyreSafe – In 2011, more than 1,100 road casualties were caused in the UK by accidents where illegal, defective or under-inflated tyres were a contributory factor.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 16:15:01 +0000
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