Good tyres prevent the likelihood of car accidents
The condition of your tyres can affect the performance of your car and your road safety. Steering, breaking and acceleration can all be hindered by faulty tyres and could result in a car accident. The more wear there is on your tyres the less grip they have on the road. Equally, under or over inflation of tyres can cause them to work less efficiently. You face a fine of up to £2,500 for each illegal tyre on your car and three penalty points on your licence.
The law states that in order to avoid vehicle accidents:
- Car tyres must not have a tread worn to below 1.6mm
- A mix of radial and cross ply tyres is unacceptable
- Over or under-inflated tyres are dangerous
- The wrong sort of tyre fitted to a vehicle is hazardous
Safety standards to avoid car accidents
- Adhere to the law concerning tyre safety
- Check new tyres meet European standards for load/speed performance and are marked with an ‘E’ or ‘e’ on the sidewall
- Check retread tyres comply with the British standard and are marked with this number: AU144e
- Check the overall condition of tyres including the inner and outer sidewalls.
- Check tyre pressure at least every two weeks when the tyres are cold (check with your tyre dealer for recommended pressures for your vehicle)
- Check the tread depth. If the tread surface is level with the small ribs across the bottom of the main tread grooves the tyre needs replacing.
- Don’t forget to do the same checks for the spare tyre
In 2002 around 12% of vehicles had illegal tyres. If your tyres are not to the standard recommended by law and you are involved in a road traffic accident then this could affect your insurance claim. Cars are not insured if their tyres are below legal standards and this could be very costly for the policy holder.
Peter Taylor, Secretary of the Tyre Industry Council says this about tyre pressure: “Correct pressures are vital for safe handling and optimum braking, grip and tyre life. Low tyre pressures may cause increased fuel consumption, more air pollution, shorter tyre life and greater risk of failure and reduced stability in braking and cornering. High tyre pressures may cause reduced comfort, less grip, greater risk of impact tyre damage and reduced stability in braking and cornering”.
How we can help following a vehicle accident
If you have been involved in a car accident that was not your fault then we can help you make a claim for compensation.
You may have sustained a whiplash injury or head injury and need the advice of our personal injury legal experts.
We can even arrange for your vehicle to be repaired or replaced at the expense of the other party’s insurance company*.
Our no win no fee policy means that these services are all completely free of charge and that you will receive every penny of your compensation. See no win no fee for more information.
Fill in our quick claims form online or speak to our advisors on 0808 143 43 42
to make a car accident claim today.
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