In March 2017, the UK tyre safety charity TyreSafe launched a brand new awareness campaign aimed at promoting tyre safety among those driving with children. Their drive was borne out of worrying figures relating to poorly maintained tyres – a recent TyreSafe survey found that more than one in four carers could be driving with illegal or poorly maintained tyres.

A Grave Risk for Children

While ill-maintained tyres put any road user at risk, children are even more at risk than the rest of us for obvious reasons. If tyre tread depth is below standard or the tyre pressure is below the required minimum, keeping your vehicle safely on the road becomes significantly more difficult. Worn or deflated tyres could cause you to lose control of your vehicle, leading to a crash and injury.

Child Care – Tyre Care

The TyreSafe campaign to urge parents and carers to look after their tyres – the ‘Home Safely on Safe Tyres’ campaign – has focused primarily on general tyre maintenance. Anyone can carry out these maintenance procedures, highlighted in posters distributed by TyreSafe with the slogan ‘Child Care – Tyre Care’.

These maintenance procedures include:

– Using a twenty pence piece to test the tread depth of your tyres (min. 1.6mm) to see if it covers the outer band of the coin

– Monitoring the tyre pressure and checking it once a month, then keeping a close eye on the tyre pressure warning light

– Check for uneven wear or damage on all four tyres, on both sides of each tyre and on the wheel rim itself

In particular, the campaign highlights that it is the driver’s responsibility to ensure that their tyres are safe to drive on. It also states that if you’re unsure whether or not your tyres are in top condition then you should consult a professional. In fact, it is of paramount importance that you do so if you are at all unsure.

You can find more details about the ‘Home Safely on Safe Tyres’ campaign here.

However, if you’re looking for a professional team to look over your tyres for you, you’ll need Universal Tyres.

Universal Tyres are the foremost provider of tyre services in Southern England. With over 90 years of experience in the motoring industry, no one is better placed to supply, fit and maintain your tyres than us. For more information about our range of services, including MOTs, servicing and repairs, simply contact our friendly team today!