Bald tyres can mean insurance claims are denied

Drivers could see their motor insurance claims denied and face fines of up to £10,000, simply by failing to take proper care of their tyres.

One defective or bald tyre could see drivers hit with a fine of up to £2,500 and three penalty points¹ or up to £5,000 and 6 points for two defective tyres. In fact if all four tyres were defective, the maximum fine could be as much as £10,000 with a whopping 12 penalty points.

As Tyre Safety month kicks off a new poll of drivers also reveals that many of us don't know how to keep our tyres roadworthy. We interviewed 2,000 motorists who told us:

• 57% of drivers don't know the correct tread depth for their tyres which is 1.6mm
• 58% don't know the correct pressure of their tyres
• 18-24 year olds are least likely to know how to put air in their tyres
• 87.4% of people do not change their tyres for the winter weather

According to the poll, 58% of people do not know what the correct tyre pressure is for their vehicle with18-24 year olds being the key culprits. On top of this, 1.4% of people don't even realise that their tyres need air!
Gareth Kloet, Head of Car Insurance at Confused.com said: "Tyre maintenance may not sound like the most exciting topic on the planet but is important to basic road safety. If your tyres have too much air or too little this can wear the tread of tyres down quickly."

"If a tyre has a tread of less than 1.6mm it is qualified as an illegal tyre. If the police stop someone with an illegal tyre they will be fined up to £2,500 for each illegal tyre. If someone is in a crash and their tyres are below the legal tread limit, a fine can be issued causing their insurance to be denied."

"Tyres must be checked on a regular basis to ensure they are up to road safety standards. An easy way of checking tyre tread is the 20p check. Place a 20p coin into the main tread of the tyre and if the rim of the coin is covered by the tread this shows it is a legal road worthy tyre."
Confused.com tips on how to maintain car tyres

1. Check tyre pressures and adjust at least once a month. Uneven inflation between tyres affects the driving qualities of your vehicle and makes the tyres wear unevenly.
2. Check the tyre tread - Worn down tyre tread is more likely to cause a sliding accident and lower the traction of your car. It is recommended to replace your tyres before the tread gets less than 1.6mm.
3. Store the tyres in proper conditions - Keep tyres in the right place to ensure nothing affects the rubber of the tyres. You should avoid storing tyres in a place where the temperature is above 77 ºF or below 32 ºF. It is also necessary to keep your tyres away from any form of oils or solvents.
4. Rotate your tyres regularly - Rotate your tyres on a regular basis as this will help to get uniform wear on all your tyres.
5. Replace the tyres - When you replace your tyres, it is important to use tyres of the same size, type and speed rating to those that originally came on the vehicle.