Steering column: Worn tyres exact high cost on road

Millions of cost-cutting motorists are risking their lives and the lives of others, according to new figures which reveal that defective tyres caused 1,210 casualties on UK roads last year.

The Department for Transport figures also show that 18 motorists were killed during 2010 due to defective tyres, bringing the number of tyre-related deaths on UK roads in the last five years to 164.

A survey of motorists carried out to coincide with the release of these figures shows that millions are willingly putting themselves at risk by buying part-worn, second hand tyres that could deteriorate quickly, to save money. Almost half of those surveyed say they didn’t consider the possible dangers involved with buying used tyres, despite the fact it’s often a mystery where these tyres have come from, with many of them in fact being imported from scrap yards in Eastern Europe and others removed from cars that have been written off.

Nearly half of motorists were not aware that part-worn tyres can also add two car lengths to a car’s stopping distance in the wet when travelling at just 50mph. The study by HiQ tyres also found that 40 per cent of motorists were not aware of the fact that if they were involved in an accident which was caused by their own faulty tyres their insurance could be invalidated. Driving slowdown

More motorists cut back on driving in the first half of the year as record fuel prices squeezed household incomes and triggered a 5 per cent drop in petrol sales. The slide in volumes between January and June, equal to 517.2 million litres, deprived the Treasury of £985 million in fuel duty, the AA said.

The decline sped up throughout the period, with sales dropping 6.6 per cent in the second quarter compared with a 3.9 per cent fall in the previous three months, as petrol hit a peak of 137.43p a litre and diesel touched 143.04p.

The study also revealed supermarkets have coped better with the downturn as petrol sales at non-supermarket retailers dropped 11.8 per cent, while greater competition on price meant supermarkets saw a 0.4 per cent increase.

The cost of petrol surged in the first half of the year as volatility in north Africa and the Middle East threatened oil supplies and forced up prices. A supermarket fuel pump price war was triggered last week when Asda, the UK’s second largest grocer, announced it had cut prices. Rival Sainsbury’s later did the same.

Careless capers

A MOTORIST was caught driving while using a laptop, writing down the answers to a quiz on the radio and drinking coffee all at the same time. The behaviour was observed during a crackdown on distracted drivers by Hampshire police, with other offences including a man eating a pear with a knife while driving and motorists using mobile phones. Sergeant Paul Diamond said: “This should send a very loud message out to motorists. If you are caught using your mobile phone whilst driving you will face a £60 fine and three points on your licence. Should you crash whilst driving distracted or on your phone, causing death by careless driving is punishable by up to 14 years in prison.”

New car cheer

MORE than 330,000 new cars were sold last month, less than 1 per cent fewer than a year ago, outperforming industry expectations, figures showed this week.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said the September plate-change saw 332,476 new cars registered, 0.8 per cent down on the same month last year. The society said 2011 would be a “challenging” year, with an expected full-year sales total of 1.92 million, 5 per cent below 2010.

Meanwhile, Toyota’s global vehicle production has recovered to pre-tsunami levels as of last month, Japan’s top automaker said yesterday.