For National Tyre Safety Month this October, breakdown cover provider Green Flag has looked into how many incidents are caused by tyre-related problems on UK roads, and discovered how many drivers don’t know the basics of tyre maintenance.

Green Flag has also released basic advice for how to inspect and treat tyres.

Tyre Safety Month aims to educate motorists on the importance of regular tyre checks, in order to reduce tyre-related incidents on Britain’s roads and improve road safety. Last year alone, there were 822,000 callouts on UK roads due to tyre-related incidents, hence Green Flag is encouraging drivers to examine the condition of their tyres.

Where tyre maintenance tasks are concerned, it has been discovered that over half of Brits (51 per cent) can’t change a tyre, which is also true for a higher percentage of women (67 per cent). One in 14 (7 per cent) motorists have even been left stranded when they have broken down and not had a spare tyre.

Despite the fact that over one third (36 per cent) of Brits have experienced tyre damage due to potholes, two-thirds (66 per cent) wouldn’t know how to check their tyres for signs of damage.

Meanwhile, 1 in 5 (20 per cent) drivers don’t know how to check for tyre pressure or pump a tyre. One in 10 (11 per cent) Brits confess that besides checking for an MOT, they never check their tyre pressure at other times of the year.

Lucy Davies, at Green Flag commented: “Your tyres are your vehicle’s point of contact with the road so it is important they are in good order. Many tyre-related issues are due to worn, over-inflated or under-inflated tyres, so it’s essential that car owners take the proper time to inspect them.

“Green Flag would like to encourage all UK drivers not to underestimate the importance of tyre safety.”

Tyre Maintenance Tips

Check Tyre Tread: Tyres are designed to provide grip on the roads. If the tread is worn, your vehicle may skid across the road surface. Although the legal minimum tread limit is 1.6mm, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) recommends that tyres should be replaced as soon as the tread reaches 3mm. To do this, you can use a tyre tread depth gauge or inspect their built-in tread wear indicators.

Check Tyre Pressure: Tyres should be correctly inflated according to your vehicle’s handbook. Remember that the pressure will need to be increased when the car’s fully laden. As well as affecting your car’s handling and braking performance, over- or under-inflated tyres will reduce their lifespan and can affect fuel efficiency. To do this, you can check at your garage when filling up petrol, or buy a tyre pressure gauge.

Choose the best replacement tyres: If you have to replace tyres, bear in mind it is illegal to put different types of tyres on the same axle as this will affect the vehicle’s safe road holding. So stick to the same brand and do your homework before having them fitted.

How to change a tyre

Find a safe place to stop: As soon as you notice you have a flat tyre, find a safe place to stop off the road on a stable, flat surface. If you’re on a motorway, move to the hard shoulder and wait for assistance as it’s too dangerous to change a tyre there.

Safety first: Put on a high visibility vest and place a reflective hazard warning triangle plenty of distance behind your car to alert oncoming traffic.

Prepare for the job: Locate the spare wheel, the jack, wheel brace and locking wheel nut key. All should be either under the boot floor, under the car or in some SUVs on the back door.

No spare? If you can’t find a spare wheel, your car may instead be equipped with mousse that can be squirted into the tyre through the valve. This is only a temporary solution to get you home and you should get the tyre changed as soon as possible.

Prepare the wheel: To remove the punctured wheel and tyre, loosen the wheel nuts with the wheel wrench, but don’t remove them yet. If you can’t see the wheel nuts, you may have to prise off a cover first. If your car has alloy wheels, one of the nuts is likely to be locking and there will be a key that fits the wheel brace to undo this.

Position the car: Check the handbrake is firmly on and put the car into first gear. Find the jacking point by looking in your car’s manual, and use the jack to raise the car so that the wheel with the punctured tyre is off the ground.

Remove the wheel: Now fully remove the wheel nuts and take off the wheel. If the wheel won’t budge, call Green Flag: pushing and pulling it could bring the car off the jack.

Add the spare wheel: Lift the spare wheel onto the hub, line up the holes and screw in the nuts until they’re finger tight. Once it’s secure, lower the jack and use the wrench to tighten the wheel nuts fully.

To remember: Check them all twice to be sure none is loose. Remember if your car has a space saver spare wheel, your top speed and the number of miles you cover is limited.

For more information about how to make sure your car is road ready visit https://greenflag.com