Check Your Tyres Before Push Comes to Shove
TyreSafe, the UK's charity dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of tyre safety has launch its Summer campaign. TyreSafe is reminding all motorists whether they're a day tripper or holiday-maker, that they should be aware that more tyre-related incidents happen on Britain’s roads during the summer months than at any other time of year. To keep risks to a minimum, everyone should ensure they have checked their vehicle's tyres before starting their jouney.
TyreSafe says, "You’re likely to be carrying more luggage and more passengers, and travelling further too. This makes it essential your car tyres are in tip-top condition.
Remember, never change a tyre yourself on the hard shoulder of a motorway or dual carriageway. Call for assistance using the emergency phone provided on the hard shoulder or your breakdown recovery service and then stand in as safe a place as possible."
For this year's campaign TyreSafe has taken a vintage approach and issued the following advice for checking your tyres:
Begin by checking your air pressure. If your motor vehicle’s tyres are inflated properly, you’ll feel tickety-boo and less likely to get into a spot of bother. You’ll also save money on fuel, which means more ices and ginger beer for the whole family.
Now while you’re looking at your tyres, make sure they are in proper working order. No cracks, bulges or cuts for you, because you don’t want an inconvenient incident – or worse - while you’re on the road.
Finally, check the tread depth using a gauge (or a 20p piece if you don’t have one) to make sure your tread is at least 1.6mm deep for safe driving, especially if it’s seasonally inclement.
Before filling the boot with your luggage, do check your spare tyre – if you have one. In this day and age, only a few new cars come with one as standard and you may have some new-fangled kit you don’t know how to use. It would be dreadfully frustrating to unload your luggage by the roadside, only to find you don’t have a spare, or know what to do with the kit, so make sure you’re familiar with your equipment.