Tag Archives: TyreSafe

Tyre Safety

2017 Tyre Safety Recognition Awards

Thank you Tyresafe for another brilliantly well-organised Tyre Safety Conference followed by Awards ceremony held at The Belfry Resort in Wishaw.

This is always a great occasion to pay tribute to the many organisations that are raising the tyre safety standard ahead of others.

It also encourages new tyre businesses to come on board and work towards better and wider coverage of the tyre safety message during Tyre Safety Month, October 2017.
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Of particular note are three award winning tyre safety entries I’d like to draw attention to.

Bridgestone Tyres

The Outstanding Achievement Award, sponsored by Highways England, went to Bridgestone Tyres for its pioneering Driveguard Tyre technology.

For motorists who don’t drive cars with run flat tyres (run flat tyres are likely to be on BMWs and some sporty Mercedes) but whose car has a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) – fit Bridgestone’s Driveguard Tyres and a dashboard light will warn you about any imminent tyre puncture.

The clever bit is that the damaged tyre maintains pressure for a range of 50 miles, providing you don’t exceed 50mph – that’s plenty of time to get you safely off a motorway, perhaps, and to a garage to sort it out.

The peace of mind this gives is considerable – in theory you’ll never clamber into a car and attempt to drive with a flattish tyre that’s unsafe to drive.

Please see what FOXY thought of the Driveguard tyre when I reviewed it.

Westgate Tyres

The Independent Garage Award, sponsored by Kumho Tyre UK, went to Westgate Tyres in Morecambe.

Not only was this a popular Award because it went to a FOXY Lady Approved Tyre Centre but also because it involved Jane Bailey, FOXY’s Woman of the Year (2017).

To see why we singled out Jane Bailey and Westgate Tyres earlier this year, please read our blog.

Protyre

The Tyre Retailer Award, sponsored by Pirelli Tyres Ltd, went to the Protyre network of 108 fastfit garage centres across England, Scotland and Wales.

Another popular award with us because Protyre Centres are FOXY Lady Approved ie female friendly garages above others.

They demonstrate a clear commitment to customer service (proven by feedback), invest in quality standards, as in the CTSI (Chartered Trading Standards Institute) Code of Practice operated by The Motor Ombudsman, and work tirelessly (no pun intended haha) with the likes of Police and Fire services to check tyre safety standards and raise motorists’ education of this subject.
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With a projected 1 in 4 vehicles likely to have illegal ie dangerous tyres, there has never been a more important time to communicate a tyre safety message to motorists.

So to all the Tyresafe Awards entrants and supporters, keep up the good work and here’s to ongoing improvements to road safety and accident statistics due to all our efforts. Otherwise these will continue to affect innocent motorists, their passengers and pedestrians more likely due to ignorance rather than wilfulness.

FOXY

Feel free to publish, share or link to our tyre safety advice for women please. The more that read this, the better the female knowledge base.

If you’re a tyre centre who’d like to be FOXY Lady Approved please download details from the bottom of this website page/link.

Tyre Safety

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.

Tyre Safety

FOXY receives special Tyresafe Award

l-r Stuart Jackson - Chairman TyreSafe, FOXY's Steph Savill, Hans Vrijsen, Marketing Director, Goodyear Dunlop Tyres
l-r Stuart Jackson – Chairman TyreSafe, FOXY’s Steph Savill, Hans Vrijsen, Marketing Director, Goodyear Dunlop Tyres
Last Thursday FOXY Lady Drivers Club MD, Steph Savill, collected the prestigious ‘Online and Social Media Award 2016’ at TyreSafe’s 10th Anniversary Awards.

Steph attended her first TyreSafe conference in 2013 when she felt the need to speak up in defence of women drivers by asking anyone in the audience to provide the evidence, if there was any, that women drivers were less diligent about tyre care than men.

Outside the meeting sufficient statistical and photographic evidence convinced her of the need for an online campaign about tyre safety that spoke directly to women drivers, including members of FOXY Lady Drivers Club.

In the last three years FOXY has continued a tough message to women drivers across the UK using online communications including blogs and ongoing messages delivered via social media channels like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to explain the vital importance of monthly tyre checks (or before setting off on a long car journey) including tread, pressure and condition.

Steph’s early tyre safety lesson

Steph’s personal tyre epiphany traces back to when she was invited to test car tyres at the Continental Tyres Contidron test facility in Germany. She was required to drive a range of MINI, BMW, Audi and Porsche models around this track, at speed, fitted with a combination of budget and premium tyres with 8mm, 3mm and the UK legal limit 1.6mm tread.

In Steph’s words…

‘I quickly learned the simple difference between premium and budget tyres – the better the tyre the better its road holding and braking ability. And when I drove any car with any tyres at 1.6mm tread (that’s the legal limit in the UK remember) at speed into the waterlogged section of the track, the car would aquaplane and skid, out of control. I felt much more in control with 3mm tread tyres and this is when I buy my new car tyres now.”

“Since seeing the evidence that too few females know this, I wanted to make sure that busy women drivers know that 1.6mm is the absolute bare minimum tread for tyres and that 3mm is the right time to go tyre shopping. I make sure they know that the driver, not her husband or partner, is responsible for tyre safety and just how easy it is for her to check her car tyres regularly. The end result is that she can drive with the peace of mind that comes from knowing her tyres won’t let her or her family down in an emergency.”

FOXY Lady Drivers Club now operates a Register of FOXY Lady Approved tyre centres that have all promised to ‘never overcharge, patronise or sell women anything they don’t need’. Most of these centres offer free tyre safety checks giving wary women the reassurance that if their tyres are already safe and legal they won’t be sold new ones or new services.

Tyresafe 10th Anniversary Awards

Since its inception in 2006 Tyresafe activities and campaigns have made a significant contribution to improving road safety and reducing tyre related casualties on UK roads by an impressive 31%.

The 2016 Online and Social Media Award is part of the TyreSafe 10th Anniversary Awards and was sponsored by Goodyear Dunlop Tyres and presented to FOXY Lady Drivers Club by their Marketing Director Consumer EMEA Hans Vrijsen who introduced the award, saying:

“As a long standing member of TyreSafe, and as a manufacturer with innovation at our heart, Goodyear Dunlop Tyres is proud to sponsor the award for ‘Online Campaigning’. The role of online channels is growing in importance every year and provides a unique means of engaging audiences with the tyre safety message.”

“As with many of the categories, this was an extremely close call with some truly outstanding submissions with huge reach. However, this entrant’s focus and ongoing consistent support of the tyre safety message here in the UK just edged the decision so TyreSafe’s Award for online campaigning goes to FOXY Lady Drivers Club.”

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We are very proud to receive this prestigious TyreSafe award in recognition of our ongoing campaigning work and female tyre safety voice. We look forward to carrying on this critical safety message at the ladies garage evenings we promote across the UK and at the increasing number of ladies business meetings we attend and speak at.

Tyre Safety

Pregnant Mums need to Check Car Tyres

tyres_pregnantAround 700,000 new babies will make their first solo journey home from hospital in 2016 having been car passengers inside Mum for the previous nine months.

By applying known tyre safety statistics here, something like one in four of these babies and Mums, during this lengthy period, could be travelling in cars that are potentially dangerous because their tyres haven’t been checked before or between MOTs.

This risk applies to all Mums and their children of course, not just pregnant ones, but with a new baby on their minds, it’s possible they might be thinking more about cots, prams and baby clothes than the road-worthiness of their everyday car?

And in case you are reading this in late stages of pregnancy, nobody has to do their own tyre checks because approved tyre professionals will do this for you, usually completely free, whether you’re male or female, pregnant or not!!

But pregnant Mums carry a particularly precious cargo so we recommend you get your tyres checked regularly during pregnancy. You can do this via a local TyreSafe retailer or via a tyre service that is FOXY Lady Approved as an added bonus.

Janine’s story

We’ll let Janine explain why this matters and why tyre safety will forever be at the top of her checklists in future.

Janine McCarthy had a miraculous escape after a defective tyre on her car rapidly deflated, causing her vehicle to spin out of control and crash into the central reservation on a busy motorway near her home. The car flipped six times before coming to a standstill and Janine thought she and her unborn baby were going to die.

“I could see on-coming traffic and I panicked, braking harder. It caused the car to tip and start to roll and smash into the central metal fencing. It was terrifying. Witnesses told me afterwards that the car smashed into the barrier, flew to the opposite barrier, and then rolled down into the middle of a field.

“When the car came to a standstill I was petrified that something had happened to my baby as I was nearly three months pregnant at the time and noticed blood.

“The emergency services told me they couldn’t believe I walked away from the crash alive.”

Amazingly Janine escaped the ordeal with minor cuts and bruises and her unborn baby was unscathed. She is looking forward to the birth of her baby in March but this experience has been life-changing for her.

Home safely on safe tyres

As a result, Janine is supporting TyreSafe’s new ‘Home Safely on Safe Tyres’ campaign by sharing her story so others might learn from this and not go through the same experience.

Her advice to other Mums? Add ‘CHECK TYRES’ to your pre-baby checklist and do this at the start of your pregnancy, not wait until you’re planning the hospital visit.

We say – make sure any ‘expectant’ Dad-in-waiting is aware of this too because it isn’t just women who can neglect this area.

And whilst ALL children are precious and we need our car tyres to be safe for ALL motorists, Janine’s story reminds us that when a Mum is pregnant, she and her car are carrying the life of another that is totally dependent on her for its life.

Thank goodness this story had a happy ending.

For further information on the ‘Home Safely on Safe Tyres’ campaign, view the accompanying animation.

road safety, Tyre Safety

Tyre Safety Facts

Do you know the tyre safety facts?

Or are you one of the four motorists surveyed recently that were found to have an illegal tyre on their car?

If your tyres are illegal due to DRIVER neglect (unintentional neglect is more often the case), these are the possible consequences. They are ALL serious.

1 You could cause an accident, injuring others in the process.

2 Your insurance cover could be invalid.

3 You can face a fine of up to £2,500 per illegal tyre.

4 You risk three penalty points for each illegal tyre.

There are no excuses here. The driver is responsible. Even if she did think her husband, partner or Dad had checked her tyres for her.

And the first consequence would be VERY hard to live with when you discovered your tyres weren’t as safe as they could be.

So here’s what to do…

Check Your Tyre Tread Levels

tyre-depth-chartIn law your tyres should have a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the breadth of the tread and around the entire circumference of the tyre.

FOXY advice: Just because 1.6mm is the law doesn’t mean it’s good enough, especially in the wet. For example, when your tyre tread is 3mm, your tyre is 78% worn. When your tyre tread is 2mm your tyre is approximately 94% worn. Look at the chart above, please think about this and where in doubt, ask the professionals…

To check if your tyres are legal, just take the 20p test.

If after inserting in treads around tyre, you can see any of the 20p coin rim your tyre needs checking now.

1/ Park the car with the front wheels turned so you can easily see the tread.

2/ Take a 20p coin and insert it into the main tyre grooves at several places around the circumference of the tyre and across its width. If the outer band of the 20p coin is visible whenever you check the tread, your tread depth may be illegal and you should have them checked by a qualified tyre specialist.

Check your air pressure levels

Are your car tyres pressured correctly (for the car and passenger load)? Check with your car’s owners’ manual or the sticker in the fuel flap or the inside edge of the drivers door.

Here’s how to DIY.

FOXY advice: Too much pressure is as bad as too little as it affects the handling of your car and therefore your ability to control it when you need to most. Do this monthly, as a weekend chore. If you don’t, you could be using more fuel than necessary as well as increasing wear and tear. A local FOXY Lady Approved garage and/or tyre centre (see links below) will show you how to do this of course.

Check the condition of your tyres

Drivers are advised to look out for signs of irregular wear or damage such as cuts, lumps or bulges.

If you don’t, you risk driving with a defective tyre which could let you down at speed and deflate quickly. And instead of paying for a puncture repair, you’ll need an expensive new tyre or set of tyres – they should be the same on each axle.

FOXY advice: Get into the habit of always walking around your car before you get in it, just checking the look of your tyres. Try not to ‘kerb’ them when parking as this causes wear and a significant knock could damage alloys and the tyre fitting too. If a tyre looks suspect in any way, either check it yourself then, or get it checked at a good FOXY Lady Approved garage or tyre centre without delay (see below for links).
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FOXY Tyre Safety Month Campaign

Approved-icon-tyreservicesIn an attempt to raise awareness levels among women drivers, FOXY Lady Drivers Club is adding its support to the TyreSafe campaign by encouraging ALL women drivers to get their car tyres checked by FOXY Lady Approved Tyre Professionals during October.

Dubbed Tyre Safety Month because October is usually the wettest one of the year, FOXY will be working with its network of FOXY Lady Approved garages and tyre centres to reward women who are driving cars with LEGAL tyres.

After having them checked, and been given the OK, they will receive a free online gift membership of the Club, worth £24 were they to buy this via the website.

You can check to see which tyre centres are listed on our female friendly Tyre Services Register.

You can see which garages are part of the FOXY Lady Approved ‘service and repair’ network.

You can check to see which garages and car dealerships are organising Tyre Safety events for women.