Many people wait to change their tyres until the tread has reached the minimum legal limit. Some even buy part worn tyres to replace their existing ones once the wear has rendered their existing tyres illegal, but did you know that according to UK tyre safety organisation TyreSafe, 98% of part worn tyres are actually sold illegally? The sale of part worn tyres that don’t meet strict regulations is an offence under the Consumer Protection Act.
A few more statistics:
– Every year, more than 1,200 people die on the roads as a result of tyres that are defective, under-inflated or part worn.
– 34% of part worn tyres sold are found to be potentially dangerous.
– Part worn tyres actually cost more per mm of tread depth than brand new ones, meaning that you’ll end up paying more overall.
– Part worn tyres have a significantly longer breaking distance, increasing your risk of having an accident on the road.
– Some part worn tyres studied by TyreSafe were sold with items embedded in them, such as nails. Others were found to have exposed cords.
Why are people buying part worn tyres?
Part worn tyres, as a one-off purchase and not taking into account the false economy, can be significantly cheaper than brand new ones. In some cases, people simply want the very cheapest option. In other cases, there’s a belief that a part worn tyre that was originally more expensive is a safer purchase than a brand new economy tyre, though the statistics and tests show that this is often not the case.
Many people wouldn’t know what to look for if they were asked to check that the tyres that they’d purchased were safe enough to use. It’s better to buy brand new economy tyres than to take risks with part worn premium tyres.
Where have your part worn tyres been?
If you have part worn tyres on your car, how much do you know about their history? In all likelihood, you bought them from a garage or purchased them online, and may believe that they came from a reputable source, but that’s as far back as you can trace them. The reality is that part worn tyres weren’t just manufactured in their current state – they’ve been on vehicles before and many have been imported from abroad, taken off a scrap car or removed from a vehicle that has been in an accident. Some part worn tyres have been taken straight from a scrapyard, ready to be sold on again. An investigation by Birmingham City Council found one part worn tyre that was actually 17 years old.
How big is the risk?
In some cases, buying a part worn tyre is not particularly risky. It’s certainly not the case that all part worn tyres are inherently bad. However, the problem comes from the reality that you never know which tyres are safe and which ones aren’t. Though the tyres you buy might have tread depths within the legal limits, and though there may not be any obvious signs of physical damage, there are many potential problems, including excessive wear to other parts of the tyre, that may cause a structural weakness.
Your road safety, and the road safety of others including those that you travel with, should be of primary importance when you’re driving. Though the costs of running a car seem to be constantly increasing, if you’re looking to reduce your expenses then there are better, and safer, ways to do so.