Motorway crashes could be cut with simple tyre checks

Up to 75% of motorway incidents related to tyre failure could be prevented if drivers carry out simple checks.

That was the major finding from a study undertaken by Highways England and tyre company Bridgestone.

More than 30 people were killed or seriously injured in motorway accidents in the UK in 2016 due to illegal or faulty tyres.

But the 18-month study says commuters, commercial drivers and other road users can do a lot more to help reduce accidents through regular checking.

A technical engineering team from Bridgestone analysed 1035 tyre segments from cars, vans, commercial vehicles and motorbikes were retrieved from UK motorways.

The most common cause of tyre failure was down to road/yard debris penetration (56%), followed by poor inflation (18%) and poor vehicle maintenance (8%).

Bridgestone technical manager, Gary Powell, says that means many accidents could easily be avoided.

“With proper vehicle inspection and maintenance programs, many of the failure methods noted should be detectable and preventable.”

Bridgestone is encouraging drivers to visually inspect their tyres, in particular looking for possible defects on the inside wall.