Bank holiday tyres warning for motorists
Only one in six drivers check their tyres before setting off on a long journey, meaning some could be taking to the road with a potentially serious vehicle defect.
Separate figures show that a fifth of motorway breakdowns are caused by worn or incorrectly inflated tyres.
National Highways experts in the West Midlands today urged motorists to carry out some basic vehicle checks before setting off on journeys ahead of the Easter bank holiday.
Dave Harford, a traffic officer for National Highways, who patrols the M5 and M42 in our region. He said: “This is the first bank holiday of the year, so we expect the roads to be busy with people looking to make the most of a long weekend.
“The last thing anybody wants on the way to their destination is to have a vehicle breakdown. That’s why it’s really important people spend a few minutes checking the condition of their tyres before setting off.”
The advice from National Highways is simple: check your tyre pressure, tread depth and tyre age including the spare, before you set off on a long journey.
Look out for cuts or wear over the full width of the tyre and don’t forget to check the side of the tyre wall.
Mr Harford added: “Although the legal limit for tyre tread depth is 1.6mm, we recommend you don’t let the tread get that low.
"Changing the tyre at 2mm in summer and 3mm in winter is good practice and maintains overall good tyre performance in all conditions. To check your tyre pressure, visit most fuel and service station forecourts, which have an air machine for checking and inflating your tyre pressure.”
Most roadworks will be removed by 6am on Thursday and not put back in place until 12.01am on Tuesday, April 19. But some speed restrictions on certain sections of motorway may remain.
