Halfords puts tyre tread to the test
Worn tyres can pose a greater risk than using a mobile phone whilst driving, according to scholarly research. The study was led by the Director of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research at Cardiff University and commissioned by Halfords. A new video shows the difference in stopping distance between a car with good tyres, a car with worn tyres, and a car with good tyres but the driver is using a phone.
The footage shows the vehicle with worn tyres crashing through a barrier that the car with good tyres would have halted before – highlighting the peril of driving on UK roads with illegal tyre tread.
The research discovered that the braking distance of a car travelling at 70mph with good tyres is 96 metres. However, this extends to 111.5 metres if the driver is distracted by their phone, and if the car has worn tyres that are still within legal limits, this increases to 123 metres.
Professor Peter Wells, Director of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research at Cardiff University, said: "The impacts of phone usage and worn tyres have never been compared before and the study suggests that purely from a stopping distance perspective, the impact of worn tyres is generally worse.
"Of course, the impact of phone usage will be variable, but the findings offer a strong guideline as to the dangers. Drivers need to be aware that tyre performance begins to become impaired long before they reach the legal limit."
To coincide with the test, the motoring brand surveyed 2,000 motorists and discovered 10% will only inspect their wheels when the car is being serviced, whilst 30% check them 'a few times a year'.
Furthermore, 29% confessed they don't know what the legal tread limit is, whilst 28% aren't confident they could spot when they needed replacing.
The study, carried out via OnePoll.com, also revealed 31% believe the legal limit should increase to more than 1.6mm, and 53% said driving with less grippy tyres should result in stricter penalties.
Adam Pay of Halfords said: "Most drivers know using a phone behind the wheel is dangerous. What this research shows is that tyres worn down to the current legal limit can actually have an even greater impact on stopping distance.
"The legal minimum shouldn't be mistaken for a safety benchmark - when tyres reach that point their performance is already significantly reduced, which raises an important question about whether the current limit is where it should be."
Context:
Worn tyres increase stopping distance more than phone use, extending braking by 27 metres at 70mph.
Context:
This challenges assumptions about road safety priorities and highlights an overlooked danger.
Context:
29% of drivers don't know the legal tyre tread limit, and 30% only check tyres during servicing.