Tyre blowouts are on the increase - and the recession may be the contributory cause. That is the opinion of the AA, which has reported a significant increase in calls to its Rescue Centre for blown tyres.
While some of the damage caused to tyres was from clipping kerbs or striking a pothole, a significant number of tyres "were so worn they were bound to burst." Those are the words of Conor Faughnan, Director of Consumer Affairs at the AA, who went on to say "Money is tight at the moment and people are putting off spending on their cars but this is a gamble that's not worth the risk."
While drivers may stick to recommended service guidelines their tyres are sometimes overlooked, but the black circles are the only part of your car that touches the road and are of vital importance. With this in mind the AA is urging motorists to take some time to give their car a bit of TLC.
Check your tyre tread depth and pressure and don't forget rotating your tyres can help them last that bit longer (so long as the tyres on your car are not unidirectional in design).
When the tread on a tyre is worn down it is far easier to lose grip with the road and when the weather is particularly wet, you might find yourself more prone to aquaplaning.
Driving on under-inflated tyres is also dangerous. Friction caused by soft tyres puts further pressure on weak points and makes a blow out more likely.
"Damage caused by blowouts can be extremely costly but it is becoming more and more common" reports Conor. "We know this because we've seen more car insurance claims as a result of this damage."
The AA has also conducted research into tyre damage with 52 per cent of the 15,850 motorists surveyed saying they had regularly come across tyre debris on the roads. Westmeath scored highest, with 66 per cent saying they regularly see tyre debris on the roads while Donegal reported the lowest instances of tyre debris. This should come as no surprise to commuters in Westmeath with the sheer volumes of traffic on the M6 and M4 motorways that bisect the county.
"Coming across debris on the roads can be quite common but if you're driving at 120km/h on a motorway and you strike a large piece of tyre it can be lethal" says Faughnan.