Drivers urged to check tyre tread as worn tyres | Tech News

Worn tyres may be even more harmful than utilizing a cell phone behind the wheel, in accordance to educational analysis. The research discovered the braking distance of a car travelling at 70mph with good tyres is 96 metres. But this will increase to 111.5 metres if the driving force is distracted by their cellphone, and if the car has worn tyres which are nonetheless legal, this will increase to 123 metres.

The analysis was performed by the Director of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research at Cardiff University and commissioned by Halfords. The motoring model created a video to show the distinction in stopping distance between a car with good tyres; a car with worn tyres; and a car with good tyres however the driver is utilizing a cellphone.

It video exhibits the vehicle with worn tyres smashing by way of a barrier that the car with good tyres would have stopped earlier than – exhibiting simply how harmful it’s to drive on UK roads with unlawful tyre tread.

Professor Peter Wells, Director of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research at Cardiff University, stated: “The impacts of phone usage and worn tyres have never been compared before and the study suggests that purely from a stopping distance perspective, the impact of worn tyres is generally worse.

“Of course, the impact of phone usage will be variable, but the findings offer a strong guideline as to the dangers.

“Drivers need to be aware that tyre performance begins to become impaired long before they reach the legal limit.”

To coincide with the check, the motoring model performed a survey of 2,000 motorists which discovered 10% will solely check their wheels when the motor is being serviced, however 30% check them ‘a few times a year’.

What’s more, 29% admitted they don’t know what the legal tread restrict is, whereas 28% aren’t assured they might determine they needed changing.

The research, performed by way of OnePoll.com, additionally discovered 31% stated they assume the legal restrict ought to increase to more than 1.6mm, and 53% stated driving with much less grippy rubbers ought to lead to stricter penalties.

Adam Pay of Halfords stated: “Most drivers know using a phone behind the wheel is dangerous.

“What this research shows is that tyres worn down to the current legal limit can actually have an even greater impact on stopping distance.

“The legal minimum shouldn’t be mistaken for a safety benchmark – when tyres reach that point their performance is already significantly reduced, which raises an important question about whether the current limit is where it should be.”