TyreSafe supported Sophie Lyden from Westgate Tyres at the Safe Street event on 22 October. Held at the Morecambe FC ground, the event was the result of a collaboration between several road safety stakeholders. It was organised by FreshDriversUK and Racing4RoadSafety, with contributions from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (FRS), Lancashire Police, Lancashire County Council Road Safety Team, National Highways, tyre wholesaler Bond International, Westcotec and more, as well as local independent tyre retailer Westgate Tyres. All participants demonstrated their commitment to enhancing road safety within the community.
The Safe Street event was a family road safety fun day. It aimed to engage the local community on road safety, with tyre checks conducted on a total of 70 cars. 20 of these vehicles – more than a quarter – were found to have illegal tyres. This high proportion served as a reminder of the urgency of tyre safety messages.
Of particular concern was the discovery of a 17-plate vehicle with four illegal tyres, each barely registering at around 1mm, and in deplorable condition. TyreSafe said that when this hazardous condition was brought to the attention of the driver, they simply did not want to know.
Stuart Lovatt, chair of TyreSafe, said: “Events like this serve as essential platforms for raising awareness about the critical issue of illegal tyres on our roads. The results and the driver’s response underscore why we must collaborate closely with our partners to tackle the alarming prevalence of illegal tyres in our daily traffic.”
Sophie Lyden, from FreshDriversUK/Westgate Tyres, who organised the event said: “Safe Street was a great success thanks to everyone involved. We had lots of people bringing their families along to learn about tyres and different road safety initiatives that can be provided in the area. It was a very positive day and I feel really good about the event… I can’t wait to see it return next year.”
As well as spotlighting the urgency of addressing illegal tyres, the Safe Street event demonstrated the collective commitment of TyreSafe, its partners, and the community to make the roads safer for all.
