Drivers urged to check for this symbol as vehicle could be ‘defective’ | Personal Finance | Finance
Drivers have been encouraged to do a quick check of their vehicle as they could unknowingly be driving with ‘defective’ tyres.
An investigation by Auto Express found some tyres classed as ‘part-worn’ are being sold without legally required markings to indicate they are second hand.
The researchers also found that in some cases the used tyres were being sold without being properly inspected and showing signs of major internal damage.
The motoring group warned that defective tyres can lead to handling issues or blow-outs, which could endanger yourself or other road users, and could invalidate your insurance.
UK law states that a part-worn tyre must feature a ‘PART WORN’ mark in upper case letters, at least 4mm high. This must be permanently and legibly applied to the tyre, other than by hot branding or otherwise cutting into the tyre.
Another stipulation is the part worn mark must be immediately adjacent to every approval mark (E-/e-mark) on the tyre.
The legal requirement is set out in the Motor Vehicle Tyres (Safety) Regulations 1994, as part of the Consumer Protection Act.
Chris Rosamund, consumer editor at Auto Express, said: “If anyone sells you a used tyre for use on the road, it is classed as a “part-worn” under the regulations, and therefore must be inspected and stamped.”
He issued a warning that your insurance could be invalidated as a result: “Your insurance could be invalidated if it could be proved that a tyre was defective and caused an accident.
“Whether it was part-worn when sold to you would be purely incidental at that point. You could equally be driving on defective tyres that you damaged yourself.”
A recent TyreSafe investigation looking at suspect retailers found that 94% of the part-worn tyres they inspected had been sold illegally.
More than six in 10 of the tyres they looked at were dangerous and over 60% were dangerous. Mr Rosamond warned that enforcement of the law is “practically non-existent”.
Yet he said the problem is of vital importance as it affects everyone on the road: “While you might not buy potentially dodgy used tyres, your life could be negatively impacted by someone else who has. It’s time for the Government to step in.”
Auto Express has written to the Government urging for an officially backed accreditation scheme to be brought in for retailers to improve standards.
The group is also calling for better enforcement and oversight with a role for the DVSA to help overworked local Trading Standards departments.
