Not bothered by MoT advisories? That may be about to change

Over one in three MoT test failures in 2024 were found to be caused by faulty tyres, with safety concerns surrounding the decaying state of the rubber on British cars leading to calls for mandatory advisory follow-ups.

Last year (2023-24), more than 2.15 million vehicles failed their annual MoT test after they were found to be fitted with heavily degraded tyres. This represents around one-in-five MoT failures and is an increase of roughly 100,000 over the previous year, as well as contributing to a total over a quarter of a million since 2019-20.

Such a decline in the condition of the tyres on British cars is also highlighted by the fact that, of the over two million vehicles that failed, 750,000 had previously been flagged with a tyre-related advisory. This suggests that many drivers are ignoring advisories given during MoTs and could be driving around with illegal, or even dangerous tyres.

With the number of tyre-related MoT failures on the rise and some 1,700 people losing their lives in 2023 after being involved in accidents where tyre defects have been cited as aggravating factors, road safety charity TyreSafe is calling on the government for change.

The charity’s chairman, Stuart Lovatt, said: “These figures strongly suggest a widespread lack of attention to a component that is literally the only contact between a vehicle and the road.”

What changes are being proposed? 

TyreSafe, alongside the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), is now asking for what it describes as “mandatory follow-up action within three months of a tyre advisory – such as driver alerts, prompts or proof-of-replacement requirements”.

Of course, asking drivers to replace their tyres more frequently will, of course, come at a cost to the consumer. However, director of fleet risk management firm Verifleet, Richard Stowe, was keen to remind the public that, “The consequences of inaction can be fatal. It’s time we treated tyre safety with the seriousness it deserves.”

All of this follows Auto Express’ recent investigation into part-worn tyres, which found that shady businesses across the country are selling tyres that are below the legal requirements stated by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.

Consumer editor, Chris Rosamond, wrote to the Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, calling for an immediate review of the regulations surrounding the part-worn tyre industry because, with TyreSafe estimates suggesting 94 per cent are being sold illegally, action must be taken to protect road users.

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