This story in Exchange & Mart (and covered elsewhere) reveals that nearly half of British motorists are driving on illegal tyres – risking fines and penalty points, as well as lives.
The specification for tyres is that they should have a minimum of 1.6mm of tread across the middle three-quarters of the tyre’s width, and all around the edges, plus they should have no cuts, bulges, or other damage to the sidewalls.
Anyone caught driving on illegal tyres will get at least 3 points on their licence – but if all four are defective then it is a straight ban. And you can be fined up to £2,500 per defective tyre.
Measuring them is simple. You use a small tool like the one shown here, and available for a few pounds from Halfords or any motorists’ parts store.
However, it isn’t just ignorance that leads to people driving on illegal tyres. The recession has just added to the problem of people who can’t afford to drive having jalopies that are simply not roadworthy. Driving is seen as a right and not a privilege.
I notice on forums where young drivers hang out that the main topics are how to get cheap insurance, how to buy a cheap car, and how to fix things like broken exhausts and cracked windscreens – without having to pay someone to do it.