Tyre saftey and young people

We are a nation of car lovers: 65% of Brits own a petrol car; 26% have a diesel-powered vehicle, whilst 6% own a hybrid and 3% have an electric car. When asked for the most expensive thing they’ve spent on for their car, 47% said they’ve spent the most money on tyres, whilst 8% spend on car accessories and parts, and 6% choose car washes, cleaning and valeting. Not even half of British adults seem to know the importance of thoroughly looking after and maintaining the very things that keep their motor on the road – something that is even worse amongst younger drivers.

If given a limited budget, younger drivers are significantly more likely than other age groups to spend their money on superficial or aesthetic improvements to their car such as accessories and parts (19%, versus 8% across all age groups), exterior modifications, such as spoilers and headlight adornments (11%, versus 4% total), and info-tainment, including the car’s stereo and sound system (11%, versus 6% total).

But it’s not simply due to boy racers wanting their cars to look and sound cool as they cruise around. In fact, Brits as a whole are misinformed about things like minimum tyre tread standards, with 25% of car owners having received conflicting information about the correct depth. Only 36% of UK car owners knew the legal minimum tyre tread depth was 1.6mm. 21% thought it was 2mm, 13% thought it was 3mm, and 5% thought it was as much as 4.5mm. A quarter (24%) of car owners didn’t even venture a guess.

Aston spoke to Simon Hiorns, retail director at Protyre to shed more light on the issues of tyre safety, and tell Brits what they should be doing to keep themselves and others safe