Football fans urged to check tyres as new season kicks off

Only one in six drivers remembered to check their tyres before setting off on a long journey, according to research commissioned by Highways England.

Yet one in five motorway breakdowns are caused by worn or incorrectly inflated tyres and nearly a third of drivers confessed that they’re not confident checking tyre pressure.

Dave Harford, Traffic Officer for Highways England, who patrols the M5, M42, M50 and other major routes, said:

We want everyone to get to their destinations safely and the last thing any football supporter wants is to miss the start of the match. You are more likely to experience a breakdown or a collision if your tyres are incorrectly inflated or in a poor condition. It only takes a few minutes to check your tyre pressure before you set off and it could save you time and money in the long run. So take one for the team and make sure you check your vehicle before you go.

The advice from Highways England is simple; check your tyre pressure, tread depth and tyre age including the spare, before you set off on a long journey.

Look out for cuts or wear over the full width of the tyre and don’t forget to check the sidewall.

Dave added:

Although the legal limit for tyre tread depth is 1.6mm, we recommend you don’t let them get that low. Changing the tyre at 2mm in summer and 3 mm in winter is good practice and maintains overall good tyre performance in all conditions. To check your tyre pressure, visit most fuel and service station forecourts, which have an air machine for checking and inflating your tyre pressure.

If you are stopped by the police and found with illegal tyres, you could receive a £2,500 fine and 3 penalty points per tyre.

Drivers should also take a few minutes to plan their journeys in advance, checking that no roadworks are planned on the route. Live updates on traffic flow can be found at the Traffic England website.

Highways England says simple checks are a way to make sure the vehicle is roadworthy. Things to consider are:

• Tyres: Ensure tyre pressures are suitable for the load and check the condition of tyres, including the spare. Look out for cuts or wear across the whole tyre including sidewall.
• Engine oil: Check oil levels regularly and top up if needed. Take your car back to the garage if you’re topping up more than usual
• Water: Always keep your screen wash topped up with a good ratio of water and screen wash to maximise the cleaning efficiency so you can clear debris or dirt off your windscreen easily.
• Lights: If your indicators, hazard lights, headlights, fog lights, reverse lights or brake lights are not functioning properly, you are putting yourself and your family at risk. In addition, your vehicle may fail its MoT
• Fuel: Before setting out make sure you have enough fuel to get to your destination. Running out of fuel can put you, your family and other road users at risk unnecessarily. I f you experience problems with your vehicle and you can’t leave the motorway you should always try to go left – to an emergency area, a hard shoulder, motorway services or slip road hard shoulder.

But if that is not possible and you have stopped in a live lane or feel your life is in danger you must stay in your vehicle with your seatbelt and hazard lights on and call 999 immediately.

Get more information related to checking your tyres.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.