Your tyres are the only part of the vehicle which are in contact with the road.
Safety in acceleration, braking, steering and cornering all depend on a relatively small area of road contact. It is therefore important that your tyres are well maintained and that tyre tread depth is above the legal limit to maximise performance and safety – it could save your life.

Tyre Safe, the not for profit, non commercial organisation dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of the dangers of defective and worn tyres is once again running their Tyre Safety Month campaign throughout October.

The campaign focuses on the importance of sufficient tread depth. By law, car tyres must have a minimum of 1.6mm of tread in a continuous band throughout the central three-quarters of the tread width and round the entire circumference of the tyre. Drivers are responsible for making sure their tyres are legal and in a roadworthy condition and the penalty for driving with an illegal tyre is a fine of up to £2,500 and three penalty points per tyre.

You can check your own tread depth simply and quickly just by using a 20p coin the Lifesaver in your pocket!

Checking the tread depth of your tyres may be a lot easier than you think. Inserting a 20p coin into the main tread grooves of your tyres gives you a good indication of whether your tyres have sufficient tread depth. If the outer band of the 20p coin is visible when inserted into the tread, your tyres may be illegal and you should have them checked by a qualified tyre specialist. If the outer band is not visible on the coin, then your tyres have a tread depth well above the legal limit.

Download a free guide to checking you tyres.