Although most of my work is office based I visit a lot of our retail sites and I am reminded every day when I walk past the scrap tyres, that still today the biggest cause of Mot failure is tyres!
In 2014 the DVLA released figures which showed that 2.2 million cars in the Uk failed their Mot due to the condition of their tyres. I find this figure astounding. Tyres are soooooo easy to check, it's not like you have to pop the bonnet and look for anything. They are there in front of you, you just have to use your eyes, a 20p coin or even better a tread depth gauge. (you can get these on ebay for literally pence) And if you can't do this check yourself then I know we encourage our customers to visit their local Elite Garage branch and I am sure that many local garages offer the same FREE tyre check service.
Your tyres are the ONLY point of contact with the road. Why would anyone risk them being unsafe and risk not being able to brake in time? Why would you risk skidding around that wet leafy corner and crashing into a tree because you loose control? Why would you risk not enough grip to stop before you hit the car that appeared from nowhere? Why would you risk your own safety?
I often question how and when things will change in the world of tyre safety. Why is it still that consumers not only fail to check their own tyres but actually don't know what depth a legal tyre should be. To me this also shows that consumers are not aware of the dangers of worn and illegal tyres. It also means they don't know they could be saving money by having the correct tyre pressure and wheel alignment checks. We all like to get value for money so its important consumers understand that you will get more miles out of your tyres if you look after them and do these regular checks.
I mean I suppose I can't think of anything more unexciting to buy than tyres. I know no one is going to think one Saturday morning "Oh I know today I'm going to treat myself to a nice set of shiny new tyres". In fact a tyre purchase is usually a distress purchase, it is usually when the customers car has failed the Mot that you hear "oh god well how much is that going to set me back" "oh great well just put whatever is cheapest on" and the dreaded "do you sell part worns?" NO we do not sell "part safe" tyres. Despite the distress purchase consumers will then go on to re offend the following year when yet again the failure will be due to the tyres that probably haven't been checked since last year!
Maybe it's a case of "well if i don't check them and don't see they are worn then I don't have to fork out for tyres this month" but seriously this is your safety and your passengers on board.
Don't wait until it's too late, just take 2 minutes out of your day once a month to give them a quick look and if your in any doubt speak to a tyre specialist. We are here to help and to keep you on the road.
Thanks for reading
Sophie x
www.elitegarages.co.uk
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