Recent figures released by the Home Office shows a large increase in the number of drivers convicted for defective tyres.
As a matter of course vehicle damage assessors report on the depth of tyre tread when inspecting accident damaged vehicles.
If a claimant’s car has defective tyres the amount of compensation recoverable from the at fault driver can be substantially reduced. This is known as contributory negligence. In extreme cases defective tyres can result in no compensation being recoverable at all from a car accident claim. The same applies with motorcycle accidents.
Court convictions are at a 4 year high at over 10,000 in 2010.
Current regulations require a minimum of 1.6 millimetres across the central three quarters of the tyre. Penalties are up to £2,500 and 3 penalty points for each defective tyre. Most garages and tyre suppliers will carry out a free safety check to ensure all tyres are legal.