London motorists top the tyre tread table of shame

London drivers are officially the worst when it comes knowingly driving with their tyre treads at potentially dangerous levels, according to new research from Protyre and road safety charity, TyreSafe.

A shocking 53% of London drivers surveyed admitted to knowingly driving on dangerously worn tyres when quizzed as part of research commissioned by Protyre – one of the UK’s largest tyre retailers – and TyreSafe to discover how much British road users know about their tyres.

London motorists were the worst regional offenders, followed closely by those in Northern Ireland and drivers in the North West.

Across the UK as a whole, around a third of drivers confessed to knowingly driving on tyres with dangerous tread levels, with young drivers emerging as the the most irresponsible – those under 35 three times more likely to take the risk than those aged 35 years or older.

Further findings from the research revealed London motorists as the least diligent when it comes to regularly checking their tyres, with 62% of those spoken to admitting to only getting their tyre tread checked when their car went in for its annual service or MOT test.

They were better when it comes to knowing how much air to put in their tyres with 63% confirming they knew the correct levels.

While well over a third of London drivers admitting to not knowing how much air to put in their tyres is concerning, it was still well below the staggering 61% of UK drivers as a whole confessing to not having the required knowledge.

Simon Hiorns, Protyre Retail Director, said: “It’s a quite shocking state of affairs to discover that London motorists top the regional league table for knowingly driving on tyres with potentially dangerous levels of tread.

“By knowingly driving on worn tyres, London drivers are putting the lives of themselves and their passengers at risk. The failure to carry out adequate and regular checks other than at MOT test time or during the car’s annual service is another behaviour London motorists need to address.

“We would urge motorists in London and elsewhere in the UK to use October’s Tyre Safety month to seriously start thinking about their tyres and to change their behaviours to ensure they are driving more safely and within the law.”

Tyre Safety Month is organised and promoted by national tyre safety charity, TyreSafe, with 2018’s key message to motorists being ‘Tune into Tyre Safety’ and check your tyres once a month, every month.

By taking such simple steps motorists could avoid the £2,500 fine and three penalty points they could incur for having worn tyres. If all four tyres are worn below the legal limit, then motorists may face a £10,000 fine and potentially lose their licence.