Danger of old tyres
The Government might ban coaches, minibuses, and heavy goods vehicles from having tyres aged ten years or greater for safety reasons, it reveals. Why? Because tyres – even if they have never been used – deteriorate with age which increases the risk of failure. Such failures have caused collisions, deaths and injuries.
Chris Grayling MP, Transport Secretary, favours the proposal that is now subject to consultation. He argues: ‘Emerging evidence and leading expert testimony shows that we need to ban tyres over the age of ten years from larger vehicles. We have been working to understand the link between tyre age and safety’, Mr Grayling adds.
Tyred Campaign
The Tyred Campaign has made tyre safety a political issue and is led by Frances Molloy. She says, for example, that a nineteen year old tyre caused a coach crash in 2012. Three people died including her eighteen year old son, Michael. Kerry Ogden (twenty-three) and Colin Daulby (sixty-three) also lost their lives. Others were hurt.
Mrs Molloy therefore makes an impassioned, heartfelt, plea via a short film for old tyres to be banned from certain vehicles. ‘I’m just a heartbroken mum’, she explains bravely. She also has a safety message for ‘all the families’ and ‘all the parents’. It is:
‘All of you use buses and coaches at some point. You may be taking your children swimming, you may be going to football, you could be going on a family outing. Get behind Tyred, then. Get behind it and do not let a tragedy happen to anybody else’, Mrs Molloy concludes.
The campaigner has been warmly praised for her effort to improve safety. Roads Minister Jesse Norman explains: ‘I want to pay tribute to Frances Molloy and Tyred for a brilliant campaign’. He continues that the proposed law change will ‘save lives’ and calls for support from ‘everyone who shares a commitment’ to road safety.
Further steps
The Government says it has already taken steps to reduce the number of old tyres on coaches, minibuses, and heavy goods vehicles. It has:
- Since 2013, advised coach and minibus operators not to fit older tyres to the front axles of their vehicles
- Since June 2017, inspected 136,263 buses and coaches and found 0.06% in breach of the aforementioned guidance
- Since 2018, also applied such guidance to heavy goods vehicles
- Commissioned ‘world leading’ research that shows how age influences tyre safety and is expecting a report in spring 2019