Top 3 Tips for Tyre Safety Month

In today’s tech-driven world, we rely on all kinds of technology and advanced features like lane departure warnings, Anti-Lock Braking systems and tyre pressure monitoring to keep us safe on the road. While these systems are incredibly useful, you’d be forgiven for getting complacent when it comes to manually checking the basic elements of your car regularly, including your tyres.

Tyre manufacturers spend years perfecting their products in the tyre development process at leading engineering facilities before they hit the road, but it’s still the driver’s responsibility to complete tyre health checks regularly to ensure they are safe and legally compliant.

This Tyre Safety Month, Landsail is sharing some simple steps every UK motorist can use to keep their tyres in tip-top condition, providing peace of mind that their tyres will get them from A to B safely.

1. Check for damage, unusual wear and tear, and pressure regularly  – Once a month, motorists should take a few minutes to check tyre pressures to ensure they are properly inflated, as underinflated tyres can result in excessive and uneven wearing of the tread. At the same time, conduct a visual tyre inspection, looking for any visible cuts, punctures or deformations that could render the tyre unsafe to use.
2. Tread depth – The 20p test is a quick and easy way for drivers to check tyre treads. If the outer band of the coin is hidden when inserted into the tread grooves, the tyres are above the legal limit. If the outer band is visible, the tyres may be below the legal limit and could result in a fine and 3 penalty points per tyre if pulled over by the police. We recommend regularly checking tyre treads to ensure drivers remain aware of their tyre tread depths and book in for replacements at the earliest opportunity when they are getting low.
3. Be mindful when mounting the kerb – It’s important to remind yourself that you can easily knock wheels out of alignment by simply bumping into a kerb or hitting a pothole. Misaligned tyres can result in uneven wear, which can weaken them and make them more prone to damage. It can also reduce the driver’s control over the car and increase fuel consumption.

Our Landsail brand ambassador and Tyre Teacher, Fuzz Townshend, also offers plenty more car and tyre maintenance advice on the Landsail Youtube channel here and concludes with a simple reminder: “Tyres are the only element connecting your car to the road, so they must be of a high quality and well looked after. By doing these simple checks, you can make sure that you are safe on the road”.