A REDDITCH garage is offering free tyre checks to local motorists, after their survey for National Tyre Safety Month uncovered some worrying statistics.
ETB on Beoley Road East teamed up with Bridgestone to survey 200 drivers across the town, revealing almost two thirds (64 per cent) admitted to never checking their tyres.
The survey also determined 19 per cent of the drivers deemed airbags as more important to their safety than well maintained tyres.
Almost half (48 per cent) of respondents in Redditch were unaware of the extreme possible danger of driving on illegal and defective tyres, while none of the motorists surveyed were checking their treads once a fortnight – the recommended period.
TyreSafe’s national campaign aims to raise awareness of the benefits and importance of regular tyre checks as research shows an average of 159 deaths annual deaths or serious injuries from defective tyre related accidents.
Those deaths or serious injuries are included in a total of 4,596 casualties from tyre-related incidents in the last five years.
ETB Redditch’s centre manager, Vincent Ashton, said: “We remain surprised that tyres aren’t seen as the number one safety device on a car in the minds of so many Redditch motorists.
“In fact, they are seen as less important airbags, which often go off as a result of defective tyres.
“The results show us that there is still a lot of education needed around the topic of tyres.
“We’ll be offering free tyre checks for the foreseeable future.
“We’ll be showing motorists what to look out for and how to check their tyres themselves in the future.
“For the sake of a few minutes, it’s the least we could do.”
Call ETB Redditch on 01527 69217 to book a free tyre check.
