Wednesday, February 12

Drivers don’t know the dangers of part worn tyres


 

 

One in five British drivers have bought part-worn tyres, despite more than 98 percent being sold in an illegal state. That’s according to analysis by AA Cars suggesting our knowledge of tyres is a bit, well, rubbery.

Among that one in five, one in 10 said they would never buy part-worn tyres again. But 13 percent plan to in the future.

Even though a third (33 percent) of people see part-worn tyres as cost-effective, 62 percent were wrong when asked what the legal minimum tread depth was. This is 1.6mm, although many part-worn tyres are sold with around 2mm of tread remaining. Doesn’t sound like value for money to us…

The kicker, though, is that more than 20 percent of drivers reckon most used tyres sold in the UK are perfectly legal. The reality, by comparison, is frightening.

Besides the safety concerns, there is also potential cost involved. Never mind having to replace your newly-bought used tyres sooner than you’d hoped, you could also face a fine if caught with illegal rubber. This can be up to £2,500, with three points on your licence thrown in for good measure.

Secondhand tyres might boast cheaper price points than new ones, but the tread left on these tyres is typically materially less, meaning you’ll be looking for yet more replacements in no time at all, said James Fairclough, CEO of AA Cars.

It’s also worth considering that a large proportion of the secondhand stock in the UK actually fails to meet the minimum legal safety standards.