Tyre Safety in the UK: What 2,000 British Motorists Told Us

Tyres are the only part of a vehicle actually in direct contact with the road, making tyre safety one of the most important aspects of road safety.

To understand how well UK drivers understand tyre safety, we surveyed 2,000 British motorists and asked questions such as:

  • Would you feel confident putting air in your tyres at a petrol station?
  • Can you identify the low tyre pressure warning symbol?
  • Do you know your car’s correct tyre pressure?

Take a look at what we found.

Dashboard warning symbols: Many drivers lack confidence

We asked drivers whether they could identify the tyre pressure warning light on a dashboard. Shockingly, over half of the motorists we asked (that’s 57%) were unsure or incorrect in their guess.

This raises an important concern: if drivers cannot recognise the warning, they may not respond appropriately when it appears.

A further 1 in 5 people admitted to driving while this symbol was showing on their dashboard- even though 63% know that an under inflated tyre causes less grip on the road. It seems most drivers know the risk of underinflated tyres, but fail to recognise the warning signs.

Do drivers know their correct tyre pressure?

We asked motorists whether they knew the correct tyre pressure for their own vehicle.

The results showed that:

  • 32% of respondents did not know their correct tyre pressure.
  • 76% did claim to know where they could find the recommended tyre pressure on their vehicle.
  • And shockingly, 1 in 7 drivers have never checked their tyre pressure.

This reinforces that the issue may be less about access to information and more about whether drivers regularly and proactively check their tyre pressure.

It’s vital that you check your tyre pressure:

  • Every 3 – 4 months.
  • Before long journeys.
  • When carrying heavier loads.
  • Only when they’re cold e.g. first thing in the morning.

Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that anyone’s going to ring you to remind you to check your tyre pressure– so knowing how to spot the warning signs both on your tyres themselves and via the dashboard is essential.

How dangerous is incorrect tyre pressure?

Incorrect tyre pressure can significantly increase your risk of a road accident. Under-inflated tyres can cause several safety problems, including:

  • An increased risk of tyre blowout.
  • Longer braking distances.
  • Reduced control when cornering.

Demonstrating the real-life impacts of under-inflated tyres, our survey showed that:

  • 1 in 25 people who took part in our survey said that they’ve crashed because of underinflated tyres; that’s 6% of men and 3% of women.
  • With roughly 42 million drivers in the UK, around 1,680,000 have crashed (or will crash) due to underinflated tyres!

Tyre blowouts

What’s more, the survey revealed that:

  • 91% of motorists didn’t realise that under-inflation is the most common cause of a tyre blowout.

Under-inflation generates excess heat and stress as your tyre drags along the road, increasing the risk of sudden failure and road accidents. That’s why it’s so important to know how to check and top your pressure up – especially as it’s so easy!

Confidence in inflating tyres

In light of these findings, will motorists change their ways and embrace tyre safety? We sincerely hope so.

To find out, we asked whether motorists felt confident enough to put air in their tyres at a petrol station:

  • Surprisingly, over 1 in 5 people said they would not.

Confidence levels also differed by gender:

  • 88% of men said that they felt confident in re-inflating their tyres.
  • Only 68% of women said they felt confident re-inflating tyres.

Tread depth awareness

It’s not just tyre pressure that you need to check, tread depth is also vital for road safety. Despite this, our findings revealed that:

  • 25% of motorists have never personally checked the tread depth on their tyres.

Why tread depth matters

Tyre tread depth impacts road grip, braking, and water dispersal. Incorrect tyre pressure can also accelerate uneven tread wear.

The recommended tread range for safe performances:

  • Approximately 3mm – 8mm.

The legal minimum tread depth in the UK is 1.6mm. Read more about tread depth here.

Driving with worn tyres may result in fines and increased accident risk.

How can tyre safety improve?

Some of our survey findings suggest that many motorists are not taking basic tyre safety precautions.

Practical steps to improve tyre safety include:

  • Sharing tyre safety knowledge: Tell your friends about some of the statistics we’ve shared with you today; quiz them on whether they’re familiar with tyre pressure safety regulations and encourage them to check their tyres.
  • Book a vehicle safety check: At Halfords, our FREE Road Ready Car Check and FREE tyre check are ideal for making tyre safety convenient!
  • Check your own tyre pressure today and ensure that you’re within the government guidelines!

Please join us in promoting proper safety practices and helping to limit road accidents.

Same-day tyre fitting

Did you know that we now offer same day tyre fitting across our garages nationwide?

Simply book online before 3pm and we can replace your tyres the same day to help you get you back on the road safely and swiftly. Please note that availability varies by location. For more information, please head on over to our dedicated same day tyre fitting page where you can find answers to frequently asked questions, choose the right tyres for your vehicle and book your appointment.