With a view towards improving safety standards and raising awareness of the law relating to part-worn tires, Cumbria County (England) Council’s Trading Standards team and Cumbria Police plan to visit tire retailers throughout February.
Various estimates place the number of part-worn tires sold in the U.K. each year at between three and four million units. The law sets out that each part-worn sold must be inspected against a number of criteria covering its structural integrity, tread depth and standard of repairs.
The tire must also be permanently marked as a part-worn. Despite this, an investigation carried out by TyreSafe and Auto Express last year found that 98% of the part-worn tires they purchased had been sold illegally, and more than a third of the tires were found to contain other potentially dangerous forms of damage or non-compliance with part-worn tire legislation.
“As household finances remain squeezed, we know that more drivers are turning to part-worn tires,” observed Trading Standards service manager Angela Jones. “While we maintain that new tires are the safest option, we need to ensure that those opting for part-worns buy only those which comply with legal requirements in order to minimise any safety risks.”
Shaun McKeown, a forensic vehicle examiner for Cumbria Constabulary, added: “We are committed to checking every aspect of tire safety and will be working alongside Trading Standards to check local garages to make sure that the tyres which are being sold are fit for purpose. In these financially difficult times, it is understanding that people will look to save some money and by a tire, which they believe is OK but at a cost price. We want to make sure that people are not putting their lives at risk.” (Tyres & Accessories)
