Tyres are now featured within the ‘Safer Lives, Stronger Nation: The National Accident Prevention Strategy (NAPS) Report’. The report brings critical attention to vehicle defects as an overlooked cause of road collisions. Drivers already have a legal requirement to ensure the roadworthiness of their tyres. However, the large and increasing number of illegal tyres on the roads and MOT failures due to defective tyres suggests that too many do not give them adequate attention. Road safety organisation TyreSafe has called for greater recognition that defective tyres require more attention, and hails their inclusion in the report as a “pivotal change” in national road safety strategy.
The National Accident Prevention Strategy highlights that “vehicle defects are an underappreciated and probably undercounted factor in road collisions”. This initiative seeks to combat the rising tide of accidents across the UK, which claim more than 20,000 preventable deaths annually and place immense strain on the NHS and the economy.
TyreSafe sits on the National Road Safety Committee, which plays a key role calling for the Government to support the recommendation to create a new Road Safety Investigation Branch (RSIB). This proposed development will become a new branch within the Department for Transport with significant powers to investigate road deaths to identify cause of death and serious injury because of the most severe incidents on our roads.
Tyres are often implicated in road safety incidents. TyreSafe data reveals that more than 6.1 million tyres in the UK have illegal tread annually. The DVSA reports more than 2 million MOT failures due to defective tyres, half of which are deemed “dangerous.” This raises serious concerns over braking distances, handling, and incident prevention. Tyres are the first line of safety for vehicles, yet millions of tyres on UK roads are illegal or poorly maintained each year.
Stuart Lovatt, TyreSafe chair, said, “The inclusion of tyres in the National Accident Prevention Strategy and focus on vehicle defects represents a pivotal shift in road safety policy. Tyres are the only contact point between a vehicle and the road; their condition is paramount. We welcome the proposal to establish the RSIB, to better investigate vehicle defects in serious incidents and urge continued collaboration to educate drivers and enforce regulations.”
WhatTyre is a registered supporter of TyreSafe.
