Drivers urged to check tyre depth as traffic officers unveil new technology to check for illegal tyres

Road users are being urged to make sure their tyres are road-legal, after Highways England revealed one in four people have at least one illegal tyre on their vehicle.

Any tyre worn lower than 1.6mm in depth is considered to be un-roadworthy, and can carry points on a licence as well as a hefty fine.

Now, Highways England are encouraging people to turn out to charity car washes at fire stations across the North West, where their Traffic Officers will be using laser technology to check tyre tread and offer advice to road users.

Highways England are pushing to cut down on the number of people killed or seriously injured on England’s motorways and major A roads by 40 percent by 2020 and says focusing on tyre safety will make an important contribution.

Stuart Lovatt, Highways England’s Road Safety Lead, said:

Highways England and fire and rescue services have a mutual interest in reducing the number of incidents caused by poorly-inflated or damaged tyres which could be picked up by simple and regular checks. The Fire Fighters Charity’s National Car Wash programme is now huge – involving some 20,000 vehicles across more than 600 events annually. We think it’s a great way of reaching out to potentially thousands of drivers to check their tyres for free and give them safety advice while they wait for their cars to be washed.

The feedback from the first 2 events we’ve run at Frodsham and Ellesmere Port fire stations last month has been really positive and after Saturday’s visit to Fulwood we’ll be assessing whether we can extend the idea right across the country."

Officers will next be at Fullwood Fire Station on Saturday, April 14th, where they will offer free checks to drivers.