According to official figures, Tyre-related contributary factors in road crashes are on the rise.

TyreSafe has labelled a rise as “deeply troubling”.

This is leading to calls for urgent and stronger action to address tyre safety and understanding tyre care.

Deflating reality

DfT figures, published last week, show 190 tyre-related KSIs in 2023.

This represents a rise of 29% from 2022 (147).

The 2023 figure also shows the highest number of casualties due to tyre defects since 2018.

These figures come as TyreSafe launches its annual Tyre Safety Month, an effort to focus minds on the issue and explain how tyres represent a fundamental area of road safety.

Treading water

TyreSafe says this increase suggests that despite ongoing efforts, tyre safety remains a significant issue, and more needs to be done to prevent avoidable deaths and injuries.

The organisation is also campaigning for statistics to better reflect the causational factors contributing to those killed or injured on the road.

Underreporting poses an ongoing challenge in understanding of road crashes, let alone the true scale of the problem.

If we want to motivate new improvements to the road casualty figures, especially considering they have plateaued over the last decade, then understanding the contributing factors is essential.

Depths of understanding

Stuart Lovatt, chair of TyreSafe, said: “These figures are a stark reminder that we cannot afford to be complacent when it comes to tyre safety.

“The increase in tyre-related KSIs is a call to action to raise the level of debate and understanding of the impact of dangerous and unroadworthy tyres.

“With the cost-of-living crisis continuing to hit the nation’s pockets hard, TyreSafe will continue to campaign to see drivers and riders understand how they can reduce their risks of an incident.

“Now is the time for the Government to address this growing trend with more focus on tackling the rise in tyre related vehicle defects, focus on improving compliance levels in this area and launch a THINK! campaign to raise societal awareness of this dangerous trend.”

TyreSafe urges all road users to prioritise regular tyre checks, including tread depth, pressure, and overall condition, to ensure their vehicles are safe to drive.