GEM Motoring Assist backs Tyre Safety Month
GEM Motoring Assist is backing Tyre Safety Month after new figures found that 201 people were killed or seriously injured in 2025 due to illegal or defective tyres.
This is a 19% increase on the previous year, while total casualties caused by defective tyres rose 14% year-on-year, from 585 to 667.
GEM is now urging drivers to carry out a simple and potentially life-saving tyre check, pointing out that tyres must carry the vehicle’s weight, transmit braking and steering forces, and maintain grip when road conditions deteriorate.
As part of a wider winter-ready check, it urges drivers to:
- Check tyre pressures at least once a month
- Check tread and tyre condition
- Check the spare or repair kit
- Check wipers, screenwash and lights
- Check the battery.
James Luckhurst, GEM head of road safety, said: “These are not minor maintenance issues. The latest figures show that 201 people were killed or seriously injured last year in collisions involving illegal, defective or under-inflated tyres. That should be a wake-up call for every driver.
“Your tyres are the only components connecting your vehicle to the road, so it makes sense to give them the attention they deserve. A quick, routine check of pressures, tread and condition is one of the simplest safety actions we can take – and it is far preferable to discovering a problem on a dark, wet roadside in winter.
“Prevention is safer and cheaper than a breakdown. Checking a few basic items now can help protect us on journeys, while avoiding the disruption and expense that often follow a preventable fault.”
