Only last week, there was a national news story about a family’s lucky escape when a £25 part-worn tyre they purchased was to blame for a 70mph motorway smash.
Motorist Nicole Hunt was driving her whole family to Chessington World of Adventures for a day out when the crash happened on the M40 in September 2017.
An independent investigation was carried out by Newlaw Associates and they found ‘improper repairs’ were made to the tyre before it was fitted to the rear near-side wheel.
TyreSafe Investigations
This is not an uncommon story and the way part-worn tyres are being sold does not seem to be changing. In October 2018, Investigations by TyreSafe during Tyre Safety Month revealed a shocking 99% of part worn tyre retailers were selling illegal and dangerous tyres.
In total, 18 investigations were carried out across England and Scotland involving 68 part worn traders, all bar one of whom were supplying tyres which contravened the legislation governing their sale. Even more concerning, of the 129 tyres inspected, 75% were unsafe.
Why would you buy part-worn tyres?
It may seem as though you are saving money at the time by purchasing a part worn tyre but there are multiple factors to consider:
- Tyre safety is YOUR safety – Unsafe tyres caused 1,075 road accidents in 2016 alone. Almost twice the amount of accidents caused by mobile phone usage in the same time period as a comparison.
- Part-worn tyre prices – The main reason part-worn tyres are purchased is that the cost is less than buying a new tyre.
Currently, within a mile of all of our Lindleys Autocentres branches in Nottingham, you can buy a 205/55R16 part worn tyre with 4mm of tread for around £35, that works out at £8.75 per mm. Now compare that to a brand-new economy tyre with 8mm of tread for £56, that’s £7.07 per mm. It just doesn’t make any sense, a short-term solution that’s covered in danger.
Why take the chance?
If you’re in the market for new tyres and you’ve thought about purchasing part-worn tyres in Nottingham, we hope this blog has given you something to think about and you’ll look at all the options available to you.
Lindleys Autocentres offer a free tyre safety check service, just bring your vehicle into any of our branches and we’ll happily check the condition of your tyres and run through options that suit your budget if you need replacement tyres.
You can view our range of tyres online here and if time is of the essence, we have a mobile tyre fitting service which can come to your home or workplace to change your tyres!
