This mind-boggling news comes courtesy of a nationwide inspection survey conducted by the manufacturer, during which more than 2,300 cars were inspected at 13 venues in the U.K. From this sample population, 36% were found to have at least one tyre between 7 psi and 12 psi below the recommended pressure, and an additional 15% had a tyre at least 14 psi or more below the specified level – potentially only 50% of the recommended safe level of inflation. Furthermore, 13% of all vehicles had a tyre containing a puncture.

“This is an appalling state of affairs for British motorists,” says Peter Snelling, head of communications for Michelin UK. “It is the responsibility of every motorist to check and adjust his or her tyre pressures regularly. It is not an expensive or complicated task and only needs a couple of minutes’ effort each week.

“Motorists complain about the state of the roads and the penal cost of motoring but are simply lazy when it comes to the most basic road safety precaution. If we all drove with the correct tyre pressures we would save £2billion in fuel costs and contribute to reducing CO2 emission by 5.5 million tonnes per year. Effectively running on tyres 10psi below the recommended level adds a cost equivalent to an extra 3 pence a litre of fuel. And air is free!”

Michelin operate its “Fill up with air” campaign across Europe to bring home the importance of regular tyre pressure checks and adjustment. However, our results during the campaign’s four years have been abysmal: The U.K. is ranked 25 out of 27 countries in terms of the proportion of vehicles found to have correctly inflated tyres during the period between 2003 and 2007. Germany topped the chart, with only one car in eight there found to have under inflated tyres.