The BBC’s Fake Britain, a television show that reveals the extent of fake goods in the U.K., covered the dangers associated with buying part worn tires on a Dec. 1 episode.
Made with the support of Trading Standards and TyreSafe, the program featured Georgina Gee, whose family car was fitted with four unroadworthy tires by a part worn dealer, according to a report by Tyres & Accessories. The Fake Britain episode also showed the poor handling characteristics of non-compliant used tires demonstrated on a test track and tire assessments by TyreSafe’s tire expert.
“It is a massive concern for us that we have unscrupulous dealers across the country selling dangerous part worn tires which are not roadworthy,” said Stuart Jackson, chairman of TyreSafe. “The unknown, hidden dangers of a part worn, or used, product is the biggest issue. Has it been damaged? Has it been in an accident? We just don’t know.”
TyreSafe recently launched a website, partworn-tyres.co.uk, highlighting the dangers, real cost and legal regulations surrounding the illegal sale of part worn tires.
According to TyreSafe, the site has been designed and optimized to interrupt the purchase process of consumers when they are actively looking to buy part worn tires and encourage them to reconsider. This is done by ranking highly on search engine results pages when the term “part worn tires” is entered, then presenting consumers with the proven risks.