TyreSafe backs Operation Spotlight with prevention plea
TyreSafe is backing a new road safety campaign, Operation Spotlight, that is reminding drivers to buckle up.
The campaign, led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, is targeting the ‘fatal four’ offences on UK roads – speeding, drink/drug driving, using a phone behind the wheel, and not wearing a seatbelt.
Wearing a seatbelt reduces the risk of death for drivers by about 50%, according to government figures, but the message is not getting through to all young drivers. Four young motorists a week were killed or seriously injured in 2022 while not wearing a seatbelt, while 30% of car occupant fatalities among 17–29-year-olds were not wearing seatbelts.
Meanwhile, data from road safety charity Think! has revealed that drivers and passengers aged 17–34 have the lowest seatbelt-wearing rates combined with the highest accident risk.
Prevention
But while wearing a seatbelt can save your life in an accident, TyreSafe has reminded drivers that preventing a collision is preferable to surviving one. An average of 153 people are killed or seriously injured each year in incidents involving defective tyres, with 75% of tyre defects linked to fatal incidents a result of by poor maintenance.
TyreSafe has now highlighted the importance of ensuring tyres are in a good condition by carrying out the ACT tyre safety check once a month:
- A – Air pressure; check tyres are inflated to the manufacturer’s recommended level
- C – Condition; look for cuts, cracks, bulges or objects embedded in the tyre
- T – Tread depth; the legal minimum tread depth is 1.6mm, although safety experts recommend replacing tyres at 3mm.
Road safety
Stuart Lovatt, TyreSafe chair said: “Operation Spotlight highlights the importance of wearing a seatbelt, and rightly so because seatbelts save lives.
“But road safety also depends on preventing collisions in the first place. Tyres are the only part of the vehicle that touches the road, and their condition determines braking, grip and control.
“Checking your tyres once a month using the ACT method is a simple step that could make the difference between a near miss and a serious collision.”
