Basingstoke ObserverIF you’re travelling by car this bank holiday, plan your journey and check your vehicle.
Research commissioned by National Highways shows that 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.
Further research from breakdown provider, Green Flag, has revealed 1.1 million UK motorists have either been given penalty points or involved in an accident due to illegal tyres.
A reported 16.5 million drivers have lost control on the road due to issues with their tyres.
Mark Newberry, Commercial Director at Green Flag, commented: “Tyre safety is hugely important, so it’s concerning to see how many drivers neglect this vital part of their vehicle. Tyres left in a poor condition can lead to drivers gaining penalty points and an increase in the chances of a road incident. It is important that motorists know how to check and maintain their tyres, so they know what to do if the tyre warning light comes on. If drivers are concerned or worried about what to do during a journey, pull over somewhere safe and call your breakdown provider so they can assist you and get you safely back on the road.”
To underline the risks, separate figures show that a fifth of motorway breakdowns are caused by worn or incorrectly inflated tyres.
National Highways is now urging motorists to carry out some basic vehicle checks before setting off on journeys ahead of the Easter bank holiday with more than 1,000 miles of roadworks being lifted to help drivers.
Dave Harford, Traffic Officer for National Highways commented:: “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.
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.”
If you are stopped by the police and found with illegal tyres, you could receive a £2,500 fine and 3 penalty points per tyre.
National Highways says simple checks are a way to make sure the vehicle is roadworthy. Ensure tyre pressures are suitable for the load and check the condition of tyres, including the spare. Look out for cuts or wear across the whole tyre including sidewall.
Check oil levels regularly and top up if needed. Take your car back to the garage if you’re topping up more than usual.
Always keep your screen wash topped up with a good ratio of water and screen wash to maximise the cleaning efficiency so you can clear debris or dirt off your windscreen easily.
If your indicators, hazard lights, headlights, fog lights, reverse lights or brake lights are not functioning properly, you are putting yourself and your family at risk. In addition, your vehicle may fail its MoT.
Before setting out make sure you have enough fuel to get to your destination. Running out of fuel can put you, your family and other road users at risk unnecessarily.
If you experience problems with your vehicle and you can’t leave the motorway you should always try to go left - to an emergency area, a hard shoulder, motorway services or slip road hard shoulder.
If that is not possible and you have stopped in a live lane or feel your life is in danger you must stay in your vehicle with your seatbelt and hazard lights on and call 999 immediately.
Drivers should also take a few minutes to plan their journeys in advance. Live updates on traffic flow can be found at http://www.trafficengland.com/.
