A worrying level of neglect for tyre care in Ireland has been revealed in a survey carried out for premium tyre manufacturer Continental Tyres, writes Brian Byrne.
Carried out in advance of Tyre Safety Day (Monday October 2) and Road Safety Week in Ireland (Oct 2-8), the survey results suggest 29pc of car owners only check their tyres at intervals of between six months and a year. A smaller percentage, around 6pc, admitted to never checking their tyres.
Motorists are recommended to carry out a quick check of their tyres at least every week or so and a more detailed check at least once a month.
On every car, as tyres rack up the kilometres, the tread depth reduces. Once it gets below 3mm, the performance and stopping ability of the tyre is seriously impacted. The legal tread depth limit is 1.6mm. Below that the owner is liable for up to four penalty points and a fine of €80.
According to Tom Dennigan of Continental Tyres in Ireland, driving on tyres close to the legal limit is 'playing Russian roulette', as a car on the tread limit can take double the distance to stop in an emergency — equivalent to eight car lengths more. "In many cases that extra distance could be the difference between life and death,” he says.
