It’s important to regularly check your tyres to see if they’re fit and healthy to help you get from A to B safely. That’s why IAM RoadSmart’s Head of Driving and Riding Standards, Richard Gladman, has put together some top tyre tips to help you stay safe on the road:
Check your tyres regularly. We recommend weekly vehicle checks which include inspecting tyre pressure, tread depth and the overall condition.
Ensure that your tyre’s tread depth is at least 1.6mm for a car (however, we recommend 3mm), and 1mm across ¾ of the width of the tread pattern and with visible tread on the remaining ¼ for motorcycles over 50cc. If your motorcycle is up to 50cc, all the grooves of the original tread pattern must be clearly visible.
The 20p test – check your tyre tread with a 20p by placing it into the main groove of your tyre. The outer band of the 20p coin should be obscured when it is inserted. TyreSafe have produced a great example of this:
Make sure your tyres have the correct pressure. You can find this information in the vehicle manufacturers’ handbook, on the inside of the fuel filler cap or driver’s door sill, and you can get this information when purchasing tyres.
You can find out more information by visiting the TyreSafe website.
