RSA now backing 3mm campaign

The licensed tyre trade has received a timely boost with news that the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has thrown its weight of support behind the campaign to replace tyres at 3mm.

In road safety bulletins issued recently, the Road Safety Authority has advised motorists to “check tyres, including spare wheel and replace them if the tread depth falls below 3mm and make sure they are inflated to the correct tyre pressure.”

Independent research performed by the Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA)in the UK has provided convincing evidence that worn tyres significantly increase the chances of having an accident on wet roads by increasing the braking distance.
The test results showed that significant increases in braking distance began to appear when the tyre was worn down to 3mm. Although the legal minimum tread depth is only 1.6mm, this research showed that tyres with a 3mm tread had a 25 per cent better performance than those at 1.6mm in wet conditions.

In terms of braking distance this represents an extra 8 metres (25ft). In one test, where a new tyre with a tread depth of 8mm was compared to one with only 1.6mm the braking distance increased by 13 metres (42.25ft) – the equivalent to double the length of a typical living room.