Defective Tyres

Being a responsible driver doesn’t start or end with what you do when you’re behind the wheel. It actually starts before you get into the driving seat when you ensure that the vehicle that you are going to drive is roadworthy.

According to the Road Traffic Act 1988 it is an offence: “To use cause or permit another to use a motor vehicle or trailer on a road which might for whatever reason, involve a danger of injury to any person”.

This makes it illegal to use a vehicle that is in a poor mechanical state and may be considered dangerous to other road users or passengers.

Driving a car that has faulty tyres would make you guilty of committing this offence, so make sure that you incorporate a regular tyre check and know what to look out for to keep your vehicle roadworthy.

As your tyres are responsible for your steering, braking and acceleration, as well as load bearing and improving the comfort of your journey, you will appreciate that it is extremely dangerous to scrimp on tyre maintenance. For this reason, the penalties for offences related to the use of faulty tyres on vehicles are very severe and if stopped by the police you could end up seriously out of pocket, as well as potentially banned from driving – depending on the severity of the damage and the number of tyres affected.

What Are the Penalties for Driving With Faulty Tyres?

In the case of any vehicle, with the exception of goods vehicles and vehicles adapted to carry more than eight passengers, for every offence there is a fine at level 4 of the standard scale with discretionary disqualification with 3 penalty points.

Level 4 currently stands at £2,500 and each faulty tyre is considered as a separate offence, which can really add up. Two faulty tyres equals £5,000 and 6 points on your license, and so on.

How Do I Make Sure my Tyres Are up to Scratch?

The law is quite specific when it comes to tyres, but it’s still an offence that catches out many drivers each year. You must not use a motor vehicle or trailer that has any of the following defects:

• Tyres that don’t fit properly or are unsuitable for use of the vehicle
• Tyres that are unsuitable when compared to tyres on the other wheels (for example: In the UK it is illegal, not to mention dangerous, to mix radial ply and cross ply tyres on the same axle or to have radial ply tyres on the front axle and cross ply tyres on the rear axle. Exceptions can be made for emergency situations but should be avoided wherever possible.)
• It has a tyre that is not so inflated as to make it suitable for the use the vehicle is being put to
• It has a tyre that has a cut of more than 25 mm or 10 % of its section width
• It has a lump tear or bulge due to structure failure
• It has a tyre with exposed cord
• The base of the groove or thread pattern is not clearly visible;
• The tread depth falls below the legal minimum tread depth for car and similar tyres in the UK and Europe which is 1.6mm throughout a continuous band comprising the central three quarters of the breadth of tread and round the entire other circumference of the tyre.
• The tyre is not maintained in such a condition as to be fit for the use to which the vehicle or the trailer is being put or has a defect which might cause damage to the surface of the road or to persons in the vehicle or on the road.

Most types of tyre will have tread wear indicators which are usually six small ribs that run across the bottom of the main tread grooves. When the tread surface becomes level with these ribs the tyre is at the legal limit and must be replaced as soon as possible. If you are not sure if your tyres are legal, you can either purchase an inexpensive tread depth gauge which are available in many places and test them yourself, or see a professional for advice. Having 'bald' tyres will also mean your car fails its MOT test which could end up with a costly re-test – the tread is what helps you to stop in an emergency, so both financially and for safety’s sake - it’s worth keeping on top of any problems with them and replacing them as soon as you find any faults.