The Impact of Tyre Age on Road Safety

Only 17 out of 100 drivers are able to check the date of the tyres they use or whether the tyres are in good condition, let alone the knowledge, and only 17 drivers are aware of the issue of their tyres becoming old or needing replacement.

However, the rubber that the tyre is made out of naturally ages over time as the material weakens over time, and thus brakes or any other control of the car becomes more difficult and even dangerous.

Tyres have special chemicals in them that help them last longer. The passed time has the texture and feel of cracking an old elastic band.

How long does a tyre last?

The companies that manufacture tyres all have different timetables for when they think you should change them. A few of them declare that replacing them every 6 years is the period whether they are in serviceable condition or not.

Most of them state that you can use tyres for a period of 10 years instead, but you should check them every 5 years. There are several factors that can make your tyres old, such as heat exposure to your tyres and the frequency of your use of the vehicle.

For example, a spare tyre kept in your car will weather faster because of the heat and dust it is exposed to, unlike a tyre stored in a garage, which will deteriorate faster.

Signs of ageing

If the tyres, while being used regularly, do not show the slightest sign of old age, they may still be worn out due to normal wear. However, minimal use may lead to premature wear of tyres, so they might appear to be in good condition even when they are stored in the garage and hardly used.

Even though one may not frequently back the car with the caravan or trailer or have the car parked in the garage, the tyres may weaken over time from the sun's UV rays and rain.

Whether a tyre is old or damaged can be determined by:

• Looking right at the tyre's sides for cracks, particularly at 4 or 5 years old when your car is kept outside most often, is a good idea.

• One of the signs that a tyre is old is if the tread looks out of shape.

• Get a zero-cost tyre examination from Tyre Savings.

Do not think that your car's tyres have gone through the 20p test, which is checking the readability of the tyres, especially since they have aged by this time. Check your tyres visually every month to be sure they're still safe.

How can you know how old your tyres are?

You can determine the manufacture date of the tyres by looking at their sides. There you will encounter the 'DOT' letters followed by the code, which is the number. The code helps you figure out how old your tyre is: the first two digits might be the week that it was made, and the following two are the year.

Suppose: 2314 = 23rd week of 2014

• If your tyre has a 4-digit code, the first two digits will indicate the week it was made, and the last two are the model year. For instance, if your tyre has a code of 2314, that means it was the light of days in the 23rd week of 2014.

• If your tyre has a 3-digit code, it was made before the year 2000. Do try not to slide off the road because of worn out tyres. These tyres should be replaced immediately, as they are old and may not be safe to use.

• If your tyres are more than 5 years old, you should replace them immediately.

Replace your tyres

Despite their old age factor, totally familiar-looking tyres can be treacherous. You should change your tyres at the Tyre Savings Centre whenever you see age-related changes in the rubber, even when they seem fine.

Make sure the production code is within the manufacturing date when purchasing new tyres. Also, keep away from buying used tyres, even if they appear to have a lot of tread.