TyreSafe has picked apart 2015’s figures from the Department of Transport’s Reported Road Casualties Great Britain analysis, which show casualties from tyre-related accidents have fallen by more than a quarter.

Overall the data shows a 16.2 per cent reduction in casualties from all accidents.
The data does not show if the number of tyre-related accidents are falling, so TyreSafe has urged drivers not to be complacent. This year’s slogan for Tyre Safety Month is: “Check it, don’t chance it.”

TyreSafe’s Chairman, Stuart Jackson, said: “Tyre Safety Month 2016 kicks off with good news but motorists should not interpret those results as being an excuse not to carry out regular tyre checks. Tyres are a safety critical component on any vehicle and the only one in contact with the road, and while modern vehicles give occupants a far greater chance of surviving a collision – even walking away uninjured – well-maintained tyres will significantly reduce the risk of being involved in an incident in the first place.”

TyreSafe, a national tyre safety campaigning organisation, began Tyre Safety Month in 2006. It says that tyre-related accident casualties have dropped by 44 per cent in that time.

Causes of tyre-related accidents include worn tyre tread and under- or over-inflated tyres. TyreSafe estimates there could be as many as 10 million illegal tyres on Britain’s roads. The maximum penalty for driving with unsafe tyres is £2,500 and three points on your licence.