The Hidden Dangers of Part Worn Tyres

11/10/2017 - Big Tyres

Cash-strapped drivers are putting themselves, their passengers and other road users at serious risk of injury by opting for part worn tyres, according to campaign group TyreSafe.

Truck Tyres, Trailer tyres and Tractor tyres are the only part of a vehicle in contact with the road surface, so they play a critical role in road safety. Acceleration, braking, steering and cornering all rely on the tyres' relatively small contact area with the road surface so their correct selection, care and maintenance is essential.

But when times are tough and household budgets are stretched, drivers often consider cutting corners – finding cheaper fuel, using a less expensive garage or buying cheap tyres. The cheapest tyres of all are typically part-worn tyres.

Each year in the UK, more than 1200 road casualties are caused by an accident where illegal defective or under-inflated part worn tyres are a contributory factor.

The group has issued the stark warning following a month-long nationwide investigation where it purchased a random sample of 50 part worn tyres. The tyres were inspected by an independent tyre expert and the alarming results found that 98 per cent of the tyres were being sold illegally. But more concerning was that over a third of the tyres were found to contain potentially dangerous forms of damage or non-compliance.

Indeed, one tyre was described by the inspection engineer as having the "potential to kill" as it still contained a metal object penetrating 5cm through the tread in a manner which was likely to result in sudden and total tyre failure had it been fitted to a vehicle.

This video from TyreSafe explains a few of the dangers you could face if buying part worn tyres: