BRIDGESTONE MAKES ROAD SAFETY

With children going back to the classroom and rush-hour traffic resuming, Bridgestone is urging motorists to take extra care on the school-run, following some alarming statistics about illegal tyre usage.

The company is calling on motorists to check that their tyre tread depths are over the minimum legal limit of 1.6mm - roughly the same as the rim of a 20p piece – after the TyreSafe organisation revealed that 10 million vehicles could be driven with an illegal tyre.

Coupling this with the new school term and an expected spike in traffic and Bridgestone believes that the time has never been more critical to carry out some simple tyre checks – or even drive to a selected garage to get a professional technician to take a look.

Bridgestone expressed its disappointment about the recent TyreSafe research, which revealed more than 27% of tyres were already illegal when they were replaced. That equates to more than one-in-four of the 37 million cars and light commercial vehicles.

These figures arrive on the back of Bridgestone’s own primary school safety findings from September 2014, which reported that a third of parents (35%) had witnessed near misses outside the school gates while more than half of primary school parents (55%) were worried about their child’s safety near roads on the school run.

Bridgestone’s YouGov survey, which questioned more than 1,000 parents, also revealed the following:

§  Two thirds (67%) saw other parents crossing the road without holding the hand of their child

§  A third (38%) admitted to parking outside the school gates, not in designated areas

§  One quarter (26%) stated they were more likely to drive their children to school in Autumn/Winter

§  Over three quarters (86%) were more likely to drive their child to school in bad weather

Bridgestone’s managing director Robin Shaw said: “We were certainly alarmed by Tyresafe’s tyre research, which confirmed our fears that there is a poor attitude towards tyre safety among UK motorists. A vehicle’s tyres are the only safety critical component in contact with the road and if illegal, then the effectiveness of the braking and steering systems are significantly compromised.

“These statistics, coupled with our own from September 2014, make for worrying reading.

“With the new school term beginning and our roads becoming busier once again, we wanted to urge motorists to have a think about their tyres, spend a matter of minutes checking them and reducing the risk of any accidents.”

Stuart Jackson, Chairman of TyreSafe and Bridgestone’s business development director, said: “The Tread depth survey results are a concern. Figures from the Department for Transport** show that dangerous tyres are the largest single contributory factor in accidents resulting in casualties of any vehicle defect – including brakes. If the number of casualties from tyre-related incidents is to be reduced on our roads, the UK’s motorists need to change their attitude to this primary safety feature and carry out regular checks to ensure their vehicle’s tyres are roadworthy.”

Stuart added that checking the tread depth of each tyre is a quick and easy thing to do, with a 20p piece all it takes to find out.

“Simply place a 20p coin into the main tread grooves of your tyre. If the outer band of the 20p is obscured when it is inserted, then your tread is above the legal limit.

“It the outer band of the coin is visible, then your tyres might be illegal and unsafe and should be checked immediately by a qualified tyre professional.”

For more information about Bridgestone’s range of premium tyres and driving tips, visit www.bridgestone.co.ukand for more information about TyreSafe visit www.tyresafe.org