Check your tyres for only 20p

Check your tyres for only 20p

Saving yourself from prosecution for driving with illegal tyres can be easy and simple; the cost of such a check, a mere 20 pence coin.

In figures released for England and Wales, 2012 saw 10,228 drivers hauled in front of magistrates for driving on illegal tyres, which equates to more than 170 people a week being caught with dangerous tyres. Of these court appearances, 8,919 led to actual prosecutions; a conviction rate of over 87%.

Tyre safety organisation TyreSafe has introduced a new and simple test that motorists can easily use in order to check that the tyres on their car are indeed legal, and all it requires is a 20 pence coin.

To perform the test, you need to take your 20 pence piece, and slide it into the main grooves of each of your car's tyres. After insertion, if the outside band of the coin can still be seen, then this is an indication that the depth of tread on the tyre is near the legal limit. In such a case you should check with your local garage and think about replacements.

A legal tyre is one with a tread depth of more than 1.6mm, and this should be across the whole tyre. TyreSafe are recommending that motorists should check their tyres at least every month, in order to remain legal on the road. Tyres with worn treads can cause many different types or road accidents, and can also cause costly damages to your own vehicle should they blowout.

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