Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has announced Greater Manchester Police stopped 137 drivers in Bolton for spot checks on their tyres as part of efforts to tackle one of the lesser-known cause of road casualties.
TfGM stated that worn, underinflated or damaged tyres significantly increase braking distances, reduce grip and stability, and raise the risk of losing control, particularly in wet or emergency conditions.
Additionally, defective tyres are just as dangerous as the traditional ‘Fatal 4’ road safety offences – speeding, drink or drug driving, distractions such as using a mobile phone, and not wearing seat belts – which are the main causes of road collisions resulting in death or life-changing injuries.
In 2023, 190 people across the UK were killed or seriously injured in UK incidents linked to defective tyres, comparable to the number of phone-related collisions in the same year.
In 2024 this figure was 172, averaging 181 fatalities or life-changing injuries over the two-year period.
As part of National Tyre Safety Month, the Safer Roads Greater Manchester Partnership and road safety charity TyreSafe carried out roadside tyre checks to highlight the risks of worn tread and raise awareness of this often overlooked and hidden danger.
The operation led by Greater Manchester Police on Manchester Road on Friday 24 October was also conducted in support of the region’s Vision Zero strategy to eliminate road deaths and life-changing injury by 2040.
TfGM’s chief network officer, Danny Vaughan, said: “Everyone knows the dangers of drink or drug driving, or speeding, but defective tyres carry just as much risk as using a mobile phone behind the wheel.
“Through Vision Zero, Greater Manchester is committed to ending deaths and life-changing injuries on our roads, and operations like these are vital to helping us achieve this aim by not only enforcing the law but educating drivers about how to stay safe.
“When you drive with defective tyres you risk putting yourself, your passengers and other road users at risk, so I’d strongly urge all drivers in Greater Manchester to regularly check their tyres and avoid potentially devastating consequences.”
Achievements and innovations in road safety will be recognised and celebrated at the fourth annual CiTTi Awards on 25 November 2025 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Visit www.cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector!
