1. The wrong car tyre pressure is costly. Running on overinflated tyres accelerates wear and reduces both grip and ride comfort. Underinflated tyres also wear more quickly, and can worsen fuel economy by as much as ten percent. Check your tyre pressures regularly.

2. Cuts in car tyres are obvious. Lumps or bulges may be less so but they tend to indicate damage inside the car tyre’s carcass. Check for any such damage while correcting tyre pressures. If in any doubt, avoid the risk of a blowout by having a tyre specialist examine the damage.

3. A spare wheel with a flat tyre is worse than useless. Check the spare tyre pressure regularly, unless you have run flat tyres or an onboard tyre pump and repair kit. Remember that space saver spare tyres generally have speed and distance restrictions.

4. If, at car tyre checking time, you find a stone embedded in a tyre tread, you can lever it out before it causes damage. However, if you find a nail in a tyre, leave it alone. The nail will be temporarily keeping the air in – have a tyre specialist take a look. He may be able to repair the tyre.

5. While using the tyre inflator at a garage, or a tyre pump at home, look after the tyre valve dust caps. They keep dirt and grit away from the delicate valves, and are a line of defence against tyre pressure loss. Always put them back carefully.

6. Potholes can damage more than your car tyres. Hit a large one hard enough and you could be facing a bill for the repair or replacement of one or more wheels. Should you be unlucky enough to encounter a big pothole and suspect damage has occurred, stop and examine the affected wheel(s) and tyre(s).

7. Never straddle a speed bump. Instead, let the wheels on one side of your car pass over the bump. This will prevent damage to your car’s tyres, steering and suspension. When negotiating speed bumps and road-width speed pads, slow down or face the cost of repairs.

8. When you’re manoeuvering, curb your enthusiasm so you don’t kerb your car tyres. Kerb impacts can wreck not only tyres, they can scratch, chip and even dent your car’s wheels. Steering misalignment can also result from kerbing.

9. Keep your car in a garage, if you can. Car tyres suffer from prolonged exposure to ultra violet light. This leads to cracking and crazing of the car tyre sidewalls’ structure.

10. When the time to buy replacement tyres rolls around, think about replacing all four. Should this be too costly, always have new tyres fitted in pairs. It’s accepted that the new tyres should be fitted to the rear wheels.

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Merityre.co.uk are one of the leading UK independent suppliers of car tyres. Why not visit their website for an online tyre quote or contact your nearest fitting centre.

What can be done about this? Well, October is Tyre Safety Month. Not for profit organisation TyreSafe was established in 2006 and is now one of the UK’s leading tyre safety organisations. As its chairman Stuart Jackson says, “The latest figures are truly shocking and emphasise why we need ongoing action, education and awareness about tyre safety issues.”

TyreSafe is working hard to ensure that we are informed about the importance of looking after ourselves and the safety of others by looking after our car tyres. As part of Tyre Safety Month, drivers will be given a free tyre safety check. Where? Hundreds of tyre dealers and garages are taking part, so try your local ones.

There are also a number of online resources, to show you how to carry out critical car tyre safety checks quickly and easily. An enlightening online video, of a car being driven on ice, demonstrates the benefits of winter tyres.

Stuart Jackson continues, “If all drivers took just a few minutes every month to check their tyre pressures, condition and tread depth, we could help prevent this needless injury and loss of life. Our website contains some really simple guides to help drivers understand what to look for.”

Tyre Safety Month is as much about education as awareness. The abovementioned website has material that will leave you fully informed about your car tyres and safety. You can learn about checking your tyres’ tread depth and ensuring they contain the correct tyre pressure. There are also TyreSafe’s ‘Magnificent 7 Car Tyre Safety Tips’.

As we all know, the tail end of the summer season heralds the onset of poorer weather. We should also bear in mind that the need for car tyre safety monitoring will continue ad infinitum…it won’t go away when November blusters its way in. In the short term, you can take a look at the TyreSafe web site. In the longer term, you may want to consider investing in a set of winter tyres. Or you could reflect on the wisdom of looking after the tyres you already have, keeping them in prime condition and being aware of the need to replace then as and when necessary.

The bottom line is this. As has been said time and time again, your car tyres are all that are ultimately keeping you on the road. Assuming you have no desire to become a statistic, neglect them at your peril.  Why not take a look at keeping your tyres safe– it might just be a life-saving bit of browsing.

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Merityre.co.uk are one of the leading UK independent suppliers of car tyres. Why not visit their website for an online tyre quote or contact your nearest fitting centre.

1. Correct Tyre Pressure

Regularly check your car tyres are not under or over inflated.

Under inflation causes greater flexing of the rubber, increasing the operating temperature and reducing the tyre’s lifespan.  The wear on the edge or shoulder of the tyre is increased and damage can be caused to the vehicle’s suspension when driving over a pothole.

Under inflation also results in poor fuel economy. Increased rolling resistance makes a car engine work harder and uses more fuel.

Over inflation is equally bad by increasing the wear in the centre of a car tyre’s tread; an area important for protecting the tyre against impact damage.

To find the recommended tyre pressure check the owner’s manual or look for a plaque on the inside of the fuel flap.

2. Balance and Alignment

Whenever your car tyres are repaired or replaced make sure they are correctly balanced when remounted on your car. If not this will cause vibrations, increasing tyre wear, damaging suspension and leading to driver fatigue.

Correct alignment is necessary to have the steering, suspension, wheel components and car tyres all working in harmony to achieve the optimum performance from your vehicle.

It doesn’t cost much for your local garage or car tyre specialist to check the vehicle’s balance or alignment.  Without it the resulting cost of repair will be far greater.

3. Inspection

A visual inspection once a month does not take long and is important to maintain your car tyres in a safe condition.

Check the tread depth. Most tyres have a tread wear indicator built into them. Look for a horizontal bar of rubber located between the tread patterns, at a depth of 2mm.  When the height of the tread wears down to the height of this bar it is time to replace your car tyres.

Check the car tyres for any unusual bulges or lumps as these are often a sign of internal damage. Inspect the tread and sidewall rubber for any signs of cracking. If found change the tyre as soon as possible as cracking can cause a blow-out.

Remove any stones and other objects stuck in a car tyre’s tread. If a nail is found embedded in the rubber, do not remove as the tyre will rapidly deflate. Instead take the tyre to a specialist who may be able to repair the puncture.

4. Repairs

Don’t risk driving on a car tyre that is losing pressure. Take it to a specialist who will give the tyre a complete inspection and make the decision whether it can be repaired or replaced.

Driving on a flat tyre for even a short distance will damage it beyond repair.

Never try repairing a car tyre yourself. This should be handled by a trained professional.

5. Tyre Rotation

The weight of a vehicle is not evenly distributed on all of the car tyres. By regularly rotating the tyres their lifespan is extended and uneven car tyre wear is avoided.

Visit a car tyre specialist for further advice and to check the condition of your current car tyres.

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The survey coincides with the start of Tyre Safety Month; a campaign to highlight the dangers of driving without the correct tyre pressures.

Maintaining the car manufacturer’s recommended tyre pressure can:

1) Increase safety by improving the vehicle’s braking, steering and accelerating performance.

2) Prolongs the life of a car tyre.

3) Save money by reducing fuel consumption. Under inflated tyres have a larger contact patch with the road surface, which increases drag and causes the car engine to work harder.

4) Have a positive environmental impact by reducing the number of tyres that need to be disposed of and reduce harmful gas emissions from the car engine.

TyreSafe’s advice is to check air pressures at least once a month and always before a long journey. Motorists should use the manufacturer’s recommended tyre pressure. This can be found in the vehicle’s handbook or on a plate inside the fuel filler flap.

While checking air pressure conduct a visual inspection of the car tyre to ensure it is in good condition. Look for cracks or unusual bulges. Stones lodged in the tyre tread should be removed. If in any doubt about the tyre’s condition consult a specialist such as Merityre for a free car tyre check.

It’s a legal requirement to maintain a tread depth of a minimum 1.6mm in a continuous band throughout the central three-quarters of the tread width and over the whole circumference of the tyre. Most tyres have a tread wear indicator. Look for a horizontal bar of rubber located between the tread patterns, at a depth of 2mm. When the height of the tread wears down to the height of this bar it is time to replace the car tyres.

Other tips suggested by TyreSafe include:

1) Check the pressures when the car tyres are cold.

2) Adjust the car tyres pressure when travelling with increased weight from passengers or a heavy load. Towing a trailer or caravan will also require the pressures to be increased. The vehicle’s handbook will advise on the correct tyre pressure required.

3) Don’t forget to check the pressure of the spare tyre.

4) Ensure the pressure gauge used is reliable and accurate.

5) Always replace the dirt free valve cap.

Rob Beddis, TyreSafe chairman, says; ‘By taking just a few minutes every month to check the pressure of each tyre and adjust it to the recommended level, significant improvements to road safety will be made and motorists could also save money through reducing fuel consumption.’

For more information about the TyreSafe campaign visit their website at www.tyresafe.org.

Incorrect car tyres pressure causes higher fuel use in two ways:

• Soft tyres increase rolling resistance on the road.
• If one tyre is a different pressure to the rest then there is an imbalance creating increased tyre resistance.

Both reasons make the car engine work harder and use more fuel.

Car tyre pressure should be checked weekly. Merityre Car Tyres has a useful video, providing tips and guidance on inflating your car tyres correctly.

By maintaining correct car tyre pressures money is also saved by:

• Increasing the life of the car tyre. Soft tyres wear faster and their sidewalls are damaged.
• Improving a car’s performance, especially braking and road handling.
• Avoiding a £2,500 fine per car tyre if they are deemed not roadworthy.

Five other suggestions by the AA for saving fuel consumption are:

1. Keep to the speed limit on motorways. Driving 15mph above the 70 mph speed limit increases fuel consumption by 20-25%.
2. Check the best route for your destination before departing. Listen to radio for updates on traffic jams and road closures.
3. Keep a safe distance from the car ahead. Tailgating causes excessive braking and acceleration, which uses more fuel.
4. Don’t drive with a roof rack as this can add up to 10% on fuel consumption. An open window can also disrupt air flow adding an extra 3-6%.
5. Use air conditioning only when really necessary. It can increase fuel consumption by 11%.

These suggestions and correct car tyre pressures will contribute to a small but significant reduction in fuel costs, benefiting the environment and helping to reduce our carbon footprint.