Two thirds of drivers don’t know legal tread depth

By 

Drivers unaware of the safety issues of tyres at 1.6mm tread depth, and two-thirds admit to not knowing that it is the legal limit. That’s the stark findings of a survey conducted by Continental Tyres.

Some 40 per cent of motorists have never checked the tread of their tyres, choosing instead to wait for a service, and 20 per cent  don’t actually know how to check their tyres.

Eighty percent admitted they felt the performance of their tyre deteriorating, affecting stopping distances and braking, but it didn’t change their attitude to tyre checks.

And  nearly 50 per cent don’t feel educated enough about the importance of checking tyre treads, the survey in the UK by Continental Tyres revealed.

Although the legal tread depth limit in Ireland and in Britain is  1.6mm,  Continental recommends the optimum time to replace worn tyres is 3mm, “a responsible compromise between safety, economics and driver confidence”, the company says.

Related Articles

Card image cap

Continental rolls out 3rd generation truck tyres at IAA

Continental is rolling out a new generation of tyres in the truck segment at the 65th IAA Commercial Vehicles Show in Hanover this week. The German automotive supplier is displays its new 3rd gener...

Posted 10 years ago

Card image cap

Driver prejudices cause road safety concerns

Over 16 million UK motorists judge other drivers based on the colour, type, and cleanliness of their car and even let it affect how they drive according to a new study released today.Some 45 per cent ...

Posted 9 years ago

Card image cap

Focus on driver fatigue over August Bank Holiday Weekend

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) and An Garda Siochana have launched the August Bank Holiday Road Safety Campaign, as road fatality figures show that over the past five years (2010 to 2014), 12 people ...

Posted 9 years ago


Tags

Road Safety, Continental, Tyres, Tyre Tread Depth