A freedom of information (FOI) request has revealed that millions of MOTs were failed between July 2023 – July 2024 because of dangerous tyre defects.
Tyre safety has been an issue that’s steadily worsened in recent years but the true scale of it is now coming to light, with three million MOTs failed due to tyre-related issues, with two million of those being classified as ‘dangerous’ defects.
In layman’s terms, that means that two million vehicles posed an immediate risk to road safety at the point their failed their MOT.
Because MOTs are only conducted yearly, the reality is that millions of vehicles that are a threat to road safety are likely out on the road each and every day, which has prompted calls for more to be done to keep drivers and road users safe.
CLICK HERE to read the full story on how tyre defects have become a widescale threat to road safety
In total, 600,000 vehicles had exposed plies or chords, which means they’re well below the legal limit.
That is in addition to 1.16 million vehicles failing their MOTs because the tread depth on one or more tyres was below the 1.6mm legal limit.
Road safety campaigners and tyre safety experts are calling for motorists to commit to regular tyre checks as part of their vehicle maintenance…
But the issue is that the responsibility lies with individual drivers, rather than an overarching safety requirement outside of MOTs.
Talk of MOT testing standards being altered have yet to go anywhere, but it’s another reminder of just how crucial regular vehicle checks are.
At Driving Monitor, our Risk Monitor and Telematics Monitor help ensure your team stays compliant, informed, and protected, giving you complete visibility over safety performance across your fleet.
