Tag Archives: Tyre Safety Month

Win A PurePotions Hamper worth up to £50

To help us create a female friendly support message for this year’s Tyre Safety Month marketing campaign, ‘Bad Air Day’ we are delighted to be partnering with PurePotions to promote their range of natural hair products as part of our #TyreSafetyMonth activities.

As everyone knows, when your hair feels and looks neglected, we feel the same and it affects our personal confidence levels.

Now imagine how your car feels when its tyres have been neglected and they don’t have enough air in them to do their job properly! They don’t perform as well and it’s definitely a ‘Bad Air Day’ in terms of your motoring safety.

Our Competition With PurePotions

Thanks to Brighton business PurePotions, we are running a competition to draw attention to this topic. One lucky winner will receive a hamper of their natural products worth up to £50 including their Natural Shampoo, Natural Conditioner, Scalp Oil with borage and rosemary, Intensive Facial Oil and Seabuckthorn hand cream.

All you have to do is enter the Facebook competition at the FOXY Lady Drivers Club Page, which we posted on 6 October, LIKING and commenting as requested.

Alternatively use our jolly !

A Bad Air Day

 We’re anxious to alert women drivers to the fact that safe car tyres need taking care of, especially by checking the AIR pressure in them regularly.

This is because, when your car tyres aren’t properly inflated, they can’t grip or hold the road well enough so you feel this through your car’s bad road handling. When your tyres are over or under-inflated, your car is a harder steer, you’ll wear out expensive tyres and you’ll use more fuel BUT what matters most is the fact that your tyres will not perform well enough when you need them to brake in an emergency. And the wrong air pressure MIGHT cause an accident that could have been avoided if you’d taken better care of your tyres.

About Hair And Air Care…

Award-winning PurePotions was founded by Brighton mum Natalie Balmond in her search for an effective, safe, natural and non-steroidal moisturiser to treat her daughter’s chronic dry skin condition. All Pure Potions products are fragrance-free, paraben-free, not tested on animals and made in their UK workshop so you can be sure that you know exactly what is going on your sensitive skin.

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Here are the competition terms and conditions.

Here’s how to check your tyre tread.

Here’s how to find your correct tyre pressure.

Here’s where to choose a FOXY Lady Approved tyre centre that has signed a promise to ‘never overcharge, patronise or sell you anything you don’t need.’ They will check your tyres for free, advise you about the right tyres if you need new ones AND give you a free gift membership of FOXY Lady Drivers Club in exchange for your feedback about their customer service.

If not for you, perhaps a wife, partner or daughter might be helped here? Here’s where to either join The Club yourself or buy her the gift of improved motoring knowledge.

Red Card for Leandra re part worn tyre sales

leandra_tyreAfter her father was prosecuted in April 2015 and fined £26000 for selling illegal tyres under the business name of Moss Tyres in Grantham you’d expect co-worker daughter Leandra McKenzie to have learned an important lesson.

But clearly not.

Following complaints from local residents, Lincolnshire Trading Standards conducted a test purchase a mere two months later, in June 2015, when they were sold two illegal part worn tyres by Ms McKenzie.

Neither tyres were stamped correctly (to show they had at least been checked, as far as the UK system goes) and one tyre had a deep cut through the tread making it dangerous.

Ms McKenzie was ordered to pay fines and costs of just over £8,000 when convicted in late August 2016.

Never buy part worn tyres

As tempting as it might be to buy cheap tyres, we recommend that members NEVER buy used tyres called PART WORN. That’s because you never know where they’ve been before they might get fitted to your car.

Advice from TyreSafe charity’s Chairman Stuart Jackson is to reconsider buying a part worn tyre because there are cheap new budget tyres available at similar prices. Not only are new tyres ALWAYS the safer choice but they’ll last longer and represent better value for money.

But if a motorist is still tempted to buy used tyres, she should make sure that they carry the words PART WORN stamped on the tyres. If not, these tyres are unlikely to have been checked as fit for sale and the retailer is already breaking the law.

Andy Wright, Principal Trading Standards Officer at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “Two things are particularly concerning here. First, that as the tyres failed to have the correct labelling on – with no distinction whether they were part worn or not – consumers had no idea what they were buying. Secondly, the damage to the tyre meant its structure could have been compromised. This tyre could have had life-threatening consequences for innocent motorists, their families and other road users.

Red Card Award

red_card_leandra_400FOXY says – Given that she knew the law and had seen her father suffer the consequences of selling illegal tyres it is particularly galling that Leandra would ignore this warning.

Not just that, she also seemed to get off relatively lightly here compared to her father.

Whilst it’s rare for us to award Red Cards for bad behaviour, we have no hesitation in handing one out to Leandra on two counts.

1/ For selling a product that she knew could kill an innocent motorist.

2/ For letting her gender (and her family) down. She should have known better and cared more. Especially after seeing her father humiliated in this way.

As the UK’s only everyday motoring club representing the best interests of women drivers, we are deeply ashamed of you Leandra.

For more information

If you’d like to know more about tyre safety matters please visit www.partworn-tyres.co.uk

FOXY

PS: During Tyre Safety Month (October 2016) we have a lot of practical information available to help you understand this vital subject better and to reward you for having your tyres checked by a FOXY Lady Approved garage and/or tyre centre. Always best to join FOXY Lady Drivers Club to have this support on hand and from within.

Would you buy a part safe tyre that’s cheap?

part worn tyresBefore they can be sold in the UK, part worn tyres are supposed to be tested and stamped as fit for purpose.

Yet we’re told that some 5.5m tyres come into the UK illegally, without being tested.

In fact, a previous study by the TyreSafe charity involving a random sample of 50 part worn tyres over the course of a month found 98% were being sold illegally and 34% were potentially dangerous.

And in case you still don’t believe me that this is a BIG safety problem, this summer eight retailers in North London were successfully prosecuted and fined for selling substandard – and potentially dangerous – part worn tyres.

NB: For ‘part worn’ read ‘part safe’.

But if I asked you, would you buy cheap tyres described as ‘part worn’ would you realise that this is a HUGE safety concern? Or might you consider cheap tyres, possibly thinking it’s the savvy thing to do ie to re-use or repair goods rather than to buy new?

Tyre safety versus motoring economy

Let’s stop and think about this. We’re talking about YOUR personal tyre safety here not tyre economy.

Why would anyone take perfectly good tyres off a car to sell someone else? Then pay to fit better ones? That doesn’t make sense unless they have an ulterior motive. Could it be that the tyres in question came off a car that has been scrapped, involved in an accident or written off even? Could it be that an unscrupulous car dealer could sell you a banger with part worn tyres and possibly switch slightly better tyres to replace bald ones…

The fact is you wouldn’t know. When you don’t know the pedigree of the tyres in question you’d be mad to buy them. Even ones stamped as checked aren’t as safe as new tyres. Would you buy them if they were called ‘part safe’ tyres? This is another good reason to check any used car’s tyres before you buy it, where in doubt. Is there a receipt for the current tyres? Or where were they last bought and when?

The driver/car owner is responsible for tyre care

If you bought a car with part worn tyres fitted and were then involved in an accident that the police got involved in, the driver could be held responsible. And your insurance cover could be at risk. There would be no ‘I didn’t know’ excuse in law.

Never mind the fines, points or worse you could get, could you live with yourself if an ill-advised penny-pinching tyre economy caused a serious injury or worse? I certainly couldn’t.

Here are some tyre safety tips I stand by to help you run safer cars in future.

0300-120-90And because it’s Tyre Safety Month, can ALL readers please remember to check their car tyres regularly*. In particular drivers of nearly new cars – yours use tyre rubber in the same way as older cars but can get neglected. Once again the driver is responsible…

But the message I want to convey in this blog is a simple one.

‘NEVER, NEVER buy part worn tyres no matter how cheap or compelling the sales spiel.’

FOXY

* If you get your tyres checked at a FOXY Lady Approved tyre centre or garage (and they’re legal) you can then claim a gift membership of FOXY Lady Drivers Club via our Facebook Page.

Here’s the list of FOXY Lady Approved tyre centres.

And here’s FOXY’s Facebook Page.

Ladies evenings during tyre safety month

October is Tyre Safety Month – carefully chosen to remind us to check the condition of our tyres before the most challenging driving time of the year approaches – winter with cold, wet and icy roads.

And if you need new tyres beforehand my advice is to always buy the best you can afford.

Just like used cars and garage services, you might be lucky buying cheap but it’s more likely you’ll find out later why they were cheap and the price might affect your (and others’) family safety.

Ladies evenings

tyre_hidsonsWe run a garage network of FOXY Lady Approved garages that have to demonstrate quality credentials and an adherence to rigorous standards when it comes to value for money, cleanliness and customer welcome.

We award bonus points for evidence of women in customer service roles and for ladies evenings because this always suggests a female friendly business that cares and is prepared to invest in getting service levels right for us.

So far only one tyre group ie Protyre has joined us and signed the FOXY Promise to ‘never overcharge, patronise or sell women anything they don’t need.’ They are also members of the Trading Standards Institute approved Code of Practice for garage service and repair work. This is a sector of the motor industry with a poor reputation for selling us expensive tyres we don’t need but so far only Protyre has been prepared to put its head above the FOXY parapet here.

So it doesn’t surprise us at all to see them go that extra mile by organising a garage roadshow for ladies this month including practical, friendly advice and ‘how-to’ demonstrations from trained technicians to help us with under bonnet checks, wheel changes and general tyre care.

Free for all, each evening runs from 6.30pm to 8pm and includes light refreshments & snacks, a quiz, prizes & a free information pack.

To reserve your place (and by all means invite a friend) email your name(s) and a phone number to the nearest Protyre centre as follows.

October 2, 2013 in Bristol
Protyre Bristol
27 – 31 Church Road
Lawrence Hill
Bristol
BS5 9JJ
www.protyre.co.uk
Email bristol@protyre.co.uk to reserve your place

October 3, 2013 in Gloucester
Protyre Gloucester
324 Bristol Road
Gloucester
GL2 5DH
www.protyre.co.uk
Email gloucester@protyre.co.uk to reserve your place

October 8, 2013 in Plymouth
Protyre Plymouth
Units 1 & 2 Clare Place
Coxside
Plymouth
PL4 0JW
www.protyre.co.uk
Email plymouth@protyre.co.uk to reserve your place

October 9, 2013 in Exeter
Protyre Exeter
5 Trusham Road
Marsh Barton
Exeter
EX2 8NW
www.protyre.co.uk
Email exeter@protyre.co.uk to reserve your place

October 10, 2013 in Enfield (see below for Nottingham evening at Evans Halshaw)
Protyre Enfield
770 – 780 Great Cambridge Road
Enfield
EN1 3RN
www.protyre.co.uk
Email enfield@protyre.co.uk to reserve your place

October 15, 2013 in Warrington
Jeffreys High Performance Tyres
1a Station Road
Latchford
Warrington
WA4 1JT
www.protyre.co.uk
Email warrington@protyre.co.uk to reserve your place

October 16, 2013 in Weston Super Mare
Easyfit Auto Safety Centre
Winterstoke Road
Weston Super Mare
BS23 3YG
www.protyre.co.uk
Email weston@protyre.co.uk to reserve your place

October 16, 2013 in Alcester
Eclipse Tyre Services
Unit 3 Arden Bus Centre
Arden Road
Alcester
B49 6HW
www.protyre.co.uk
Email alcester@protyre.co.uk to reserve your place

October 23, 2013 in Poulton
Barry & Wilkinson Tyre & Exhaust
Blackpool Old Road
Poulton
FY3 7LX
www.protyre.co.uk
Email poulton@protyre.co.uk to reserve your place

October 24, 2013 in Slough
Protyre Slough
515 Ipswich Road
Slough Trading Estate
Slough
SL1 4EP
www.protyre.co.uk
slough@protyre.co.uk to reserve your place

October 24, 2013 in Tavistock
Tavistock Tyres
Unit 23
Plymouth Road Ind Est
Tavistock
PL19 9QN
www.protyre.co.uk
Email tavistock@protyre.co.uk to reserve your place

October 29, 2013 in Swansea
Harris Brothers Richardson Road
1a Richardson Road
Swansea
SA1 3TQ
www.protyre.co.uk
Email swansea.richardson@protyre.co.uk to reserve your place

October 30, 2013 in Winchester
Micheldever Tyre & Auto Services
Micheldever Station
Winchester
SO21 3AP
www.protyre.co.uk
Email sales@micheldever.co.uk to reserve your place

October 31, 2013 in Westbury
Protyre Westbury
Station Road
Westbury
BA13 3JS
www.protyre.co.uk
Email westbury@protyre.co.uk to reserve your place

If you have any doubt about the tyre challenges you can face throughout the year and when driving on ‘just about legal’ cheap tyres, please read my blog about this here... And save money from your motoring budget in another way, not by buying cheap tyres.

FOXY

Take the twenty (p) tyre test

We all know that worn tyres can cause accidents. Think about the trust we place on a bit of rubber when we floor the accelerator… and then remember when you last looked to see if your tyres are safe.

Fortunately women drivers who are members of FOXY Lady Drivers Club can have their tyres checked by a garage professional as part of their quarterly Car Fitness Check regime – no extra charge AND all participating garages have signed the female friendly FOXY Promise to ‘never overcharge, patronise or sell women things they don’t want to buy.’
So there’s peace of mind that you won’t suffer the sort of sales pressure at a FOXY garage that you might if you choose a rogue fastfit or garage by mistake.

But you still need to check your tyres more regularly than this; ideally once a month and, to quote the meerkat,  it’s simples to do.

Just insert a 20p coin into the main tread grooves of your car tyres – if the outer rim of the coin is covered by the tread, this indicates sufficient tread depth to be safe and legal. If the outer rim of the coin is visible, your tyres need attention.

And if the seven year olds in the TyreSafe photo can do it, then so can you.

It’s also a good idea to get into the habit of walking round your car every time before you get in it. You’ll then become used to looking for the likes of a slow puncture or tyre wall damage caused by kerb scuffs or worse.

simples for tyres

Current UK law requires a minimum of 1.6mm of tread across the central three quarters of the tyre, around its entire circumference. If your tyres aren’t legal you can be fined up to £2,500 and three penalty points for each illegal tyre.

In 2009/10, 2.3 million vehicles failed their annual MOT test where ‘tyres’ was one of the reasons for referral and 1.6 million of these were because the car’s tyres did not meet the 1.6mm requirements. I shall remember this stat because of the 1.6 numeric coincidence…

Additionally, the number of drivers prosecuted by courts in England and Wales during 2008 for driving on defective tyres totalled 4,300 convictions (up by 14%). And you would imagine the 2009 figures will reflect the same sort of recessionary pressures to save money on car maintenance (without thinking…).

So in case you have ever doubted it, it really does make safety and financial sense to be a FOXY Lady Driver because our car checks are free and carried out by measurably good and female friendly garages (fast fits and dealerships too).

Why not join the Club now? Or tell your friends and family. All it costs is £23 for a lifetime sub and £3 of that goes to a cancer charity.

Priceless surely when it comes to driver safety alone.

FOXY