Tyre safety is an important part of road safety, yet the evidence suggests that tyre defects and poor maintenance continue to present a significant and preventable risk on UK roads.
This report, prepared by TyreSafe for PACTS, examines existing evidence on tyre-related incidents, vehicle roadworthiness and driver behaviour. It considers how better use of existing data and targeted interventions could strengthen tyre safety within the UK’s road safety strategy.
Read the full report here.
Access the fact sheet.
The scale of the problem
The report identifies several indicators of the scale of tyre-related risk. On average, 152 people are killed or seriously injured each year in incidents where defective tyres are a factor. More than two million MOT failures each year are linked to tyre defects, while 750,000 vehicles that failed their MOT because of tyre defects had previously received a related advisory. Tyre-related defects also account for around one in five breakdowns on the Strategic Road Network.
The report argues that these figures point to a gap between identifying tyre safety problems and drivers taking action to address them.
Recommendations
The report proposes several practical interventions, making greater use of existing data and systems.
Tyre safety performance indicators
The Department for Transport should adopt a set of indicators using existing DVSA MOT data, National Highways breakdown data and TyreSafe tread depth surveys. These could provide a clearer picture of tyre safety and help monitor progress over time.
Driver education
The report recommends a National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme course for vehicle defects, or the integration of tyre safety into existing courses, to address gaps in driver knowledge and encourage better maintenance.
Targeted MOT reminders
The report also recommends using the existing DVSA MOT reminder system to alert drivers who have received tyre-related advisories. This could encourage action before identified defects become more serious.
Alongside these measures, the report recommends exploring anonymised insurance claims data and making continued use of detailed collision investigation data to improve understanding of tyre-related risk.
A role within the wider road safety strategy
The report argues that tyre safety should be recognised as a direct and preventable road safety issue. Better use of existing data, combined with education and timely interventions, could help improve compliance, reduce preventable incidents and support wider progress towards safer roads.
