Tyre maintenance `should be top fleet servicing check'

- 26th June 2009

Commercial fleet operators should make tyre maintenance a priority to maximise the safety of their staff, it has been recommended.

Responding to figures released earlier this week by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) indicating that the heavy goods vehicle sector had an MOT failure rate of 36.5 per cent in 2007/8, with `condition of tyres' ranking as the second most common failure defect for this type of vehicle, campaign group TyreSafe underlined the importance of effective car maintenance.

Stuart Jackson, chairman at the group, commented that fleet operators are increasingly under pressure to ensure their vehicles are safe and roadworthy and VOSA officials are now able to issue fixed penalty notices to drivers at the roadside.

"Commercial vehicle users must be more vigilant than ever to ensure that their vehicles' tyres are legal and correctly maintained," he added.

Mr Jackson went on to say that making tyre maintenance a key priority allows fleet operators to help ensure the safety of their drivers, while reducing the number of accidents on UK roads.

This week, research by VOSA found that vehicles weighing between 3,000kg and 3,500kg are most likely to fail their MOTs.