Fleet News reports that court convictions for driving on illegal tyres is at its highest for 4 years, according to information released by The Ministry of Justice and the Home Office.
Refreshingly, Fleet News also reports the correct legal specification for tyres on cars, and not something it has misunderstood from somewhere else, like many insurers and media sources have been doing recently since Cumbria police mentioned the “20p test”.
Apparently, there were almost 10,500 convictions in 2010. The rise is attributed to the recession, and people avoiding having to make the necessary expensive replacement. After all, let’s face facts here. In many cases, even the cheapest replacement tyres will be of greater value than the car they’re fitted to.
Of course, safety on the roads isn’t a game, or a chore to be avoided – though with recent stories involving deaths by dangerous driving, it is clear that some members of our society think otherwise. If you can’t drive on legal tyres, then you can’t drive. Period.