The government will consult on options to ban older tyres from
use on buses, coaches, heavy goods vehicles and mini-buses to
help keep road users safe.
The Department for Transport has today (26 February 2019)
announced that it will consult on legislation to make it illegal
for these vehicles to run with a tyre aged 10 years or over.
This follows a research project, launched by the government last
year, to look at whether the age of a tyre has a direct impact on
its safety.
Transport Secretary said:
Keeping people safe on our roads is our priority, and we have
been working hard to understand the link between tyre age and
road safety.
Emerging evidence and leading expert testimony shows us that we
need to ban tyres over the age of 10 years from larger vehicles
based upon the ‘precautionary principle’ – a move that will
make our roads safer for everyone.
It follows the ‘Tyred’ campaign, led by
Frances Molloy, whose 18-year-old son Michael was among 3 people
killed in a coach crash on the A3 in 2012. The collision was
caused by the failure of a 19-year-old tyre on the front axle of
the coach.
Roads Minister said:
I want to pay tribute to Frances Molloy and the Tyred campaign
for their brilliant campaign to ban older tyres on buses and
coaches.
I believe the changes we are consulting on will save lives. And
I hope it will be welcomed by everyone who shares a commitment
to making our roads safer, for the benefit of all.
The move follows a series of measures on tyre safety put in place
by the government.
In 2013, the DfT issued guidance advising bus operators against
fitting older tyres to the front axles of their vehicles.
This has been reinforced through inspections by the Driver and
Vehicle Standards Agency. Since June 2017, they have inspected
136,263 buses and coaches and have found 0.06% to breach the
guidance.
Then in November last year (2018), the DVSA guidance on
maintaining roadworthiness was updated to say that tyres
of 10 years of age or older should not be used on the front axles
of heavy goods vehicles as well as buses and coaches.
In addition, the government commissioned world-leading research
in 2018 to establish the effect age has on the integrity of road
vehicle tyres.
As part of this research, the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory
has worked with a leading laboratory in the United States to
carry out testing and analysis. The outcome of this research will
be published later in the spring.
