NEW data shows that around one in six vehicle breakdowns on England’s major A-roads and motorways were tyre-related during the first weekend of the summer getaway in 2023.
National Highways traffic officers attended a total of 756 reported breakdowns across the country with 124 of those related to tyres over Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 July 2023.
Data from last year shows that between June and August 2022, there was a total 1,851 tyre-related breakdowns in the East region.
The worst road for tyre-related breakdowns was the M25 which had 619 tyre-related breakdowns closely by the M4 which had 363 recorded against it. Elsewhere, on the M1 there were 310 tyre issues with a further 186 on the M11.
And with the summer getaway now officially underway, motorists are being reminded to have a safe T.R.I.P and follow National Highways new vehicle checklist.
ational Highways Head of Road Safety, Jeremy Phillips said: “These figures are a real cause for concern, and we’d urge people to check their tyres are in good condition before setting off this summer.
“Our advice is for motorists is to make sure the tyres are correctly inflated according to the load and ensure there is plenty of tread on them. We’d say good tyre tread is an important safety factor for any journey but especially so in changeable weather conditions such as heavy and sudden downpours which we’ve seen over recent weeks.
“It’s also important to check the windscreen wipers work properly and all your lights are functioning before heading off.”
In July and August 2022, National Highways traffic officer patrols dealt with more than 21,000 breakdowns on motorways across England, with August seeing the highest number of breakdowns in the year.
More than a third (34%) of breakdowns during these two months were caused by vehicle-related issues.
Meanwhile almost one out of four (23%) people agree checking tyre pressure is important but don’t know how to do it.
National Highways has an online guide for checking tyres along with other vehicle preparations which can be found here: https://nationalhighways.co.uk/road-safety/TRIP
Tips for motorway driving:
never drive in a lane closed by a Red X
keep to the speed limits shown on the gantries or signs
a hard shoulder is always identified by a solid white unbroken line – if there’s no speed limit displayed above it or a Red X is displayed, do not use it except in emergency
a broken white line indicates a normal running lane
if the hard shoulder is being used as an extra lane, use the designated emergency areas for emergencies
if your vehicle experiences difficulties, eg warning light, exit the motorway as soon as possible, if you can safely do so
most breakdowns are preventable – keep your car well maintained, check your tyres and make sure you have enough fuel for your journey. Don’t stop except in an emergency. If you have to stop make sure you know what to do
Please visit our web page for more information about driving on motorways.
The word tyre is mispelled several times throughout this article. Should be (tire)