Driving expert reveals how to get a grip of your tyre safety - News

• Track expert, which buys thousands of wheels for supercars each year, says tyre safety is top of the agenda for TrackDays.co.uk as UK motorists gear up for winter weather
• Over half of UK motorists are driving on poorly maintained tyres, which contributes to collisions on the road
• TrackDays.co.uk offers hints and tips on how motorists can get into a regular routine of checking their tyres

Leading driving experience provider, TrackDays.co.uk, is urging UK motorists to tread carefully and check their tyres as the season turns to the wetter winter period and cars are put to the test in more extreme conditions.

And with October historically signifying the time of the year when more dangerous days creep in, leading driving experience experts state that now is the time to act in checking your tyres.

Dan Jones, operating manager at TrackDays.co.uk commented: "As a UK-wide driving experience provider, we constantly keep an eye on thousands of tyres. Driver safety is of the utmost importance to us, and maintaining tyres is a significant factor in ensuring drivers get the most out of their experience."

"The change in the weather, and the potentially dangerous road conditions, mean that motorists need to pay more attention to their tyres to ensure they keep themselves, and others, safe."

However, the UK's leading tyre safety charity, Tyre Safe, suggests tyre safety is not top of the agenda for UK's motorists, with over half of Britain's motorists currently driving on defective or poorly maintained tyres, and 27% of tyres already under the legal limit of 1.6mm at the time of replacement.

Recent data released by the Department for Transport (DfT) also revealed that illegal, defective or under-inflated tyres were a contributing factor in 26% of vehicle accidents where vehicle defect was cited as a contributing factor.

The difference in stopping distance between new tyres and ones running at the minimum legal tread limit is nearly 20 metres - while driving 30 miles per hour on a wet road. With 1-in-5 motorists never checking the tread on their tyres, rising to 1-in-3 in young drivers, tyre management is often overlooked, which can prove fatal for motorists. On average, 153 people are killed in tyre-related incidents each year on UK roads.

Dan Jones added: "We support Tyre Safe's main message: 'If your tyres don't stop you, what will?' and we promote regular ACT - air pressure, condition and tyre tread – checks.

"Although preparing tyres for an experience on the track differs from those on the road, there are some basic checks everyone can do:"

• Regularly use a tyre pressure gauge, which can be found at most petrol stations if you don't own a personal one. Most cars have the correct tyre pressure indicators on a small sticker on the inside of one of the car doors, or they can be found on the back of the fuel flap.
• A visual look at your car's tyres can also reveal a lot about their condition. Lumps, bumps or cracks are a sure sign that your tyres are dangerous and need replacing.
• Keeping a spare 20p coin in your car can also help you monitor general tread levels. If you place the 20p into one of the main tread grooves and you can see the outer band, then that is another indicator that your tread levels are illegal and unsafe.

"Properly maintaining tyres not only helps you make the most of driving, both on the road and the track, but it is vital for keeping everyone safe behind the wheel."

We have a number of driving experiences well suited to learning the basics of road safety here at TrackDays. Visit our Driving Lessons and Skid Control pages today to book from available dates on our Events Calendar or purchase from our open Gift Vouchers.