Worn tyres can be even more dangerous than using a mobile phone behind the wheel, according to academic research.
The study found the braking distance of a car travelling at 70mph with good tyres is 96 metres.
But this increases to 111.5 metres if the driver is distracted by their phone, and if the car has worn tyres that are still legal, this increases to 123 metres.
The research was conducted by the Director of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research at Cardiff University and commissioned by Halfords [http://www.halfords.com/motoring-club].
The motoring brand created a video to show the difference in stopping distance between a car with good tyres, a car with worn tyres, and a car with good tyres but the driver is using a phone.
It shows the vehicle with worn tyres smashing through a barrier, that the car with good tyres would have stopped before – showing just how dangerous it is to drive on UK roads with illegal tyre tread.
Professor Peter Wells, Director of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research at Cardiff University, said: “The impacts of phone usage and worn tyres have never been compared before and the study suggests that purely from a stopping distance perspective, the impact of worn tyres is generally worse.
“Of course, the impact of phone usage will be variable, but the findings offer a strong guideline as to the dangers.
“Drivers need to be aware that tyre performance begins to become impaired long before they reach the legal limit.”
To coincide with the test the motoring brand conducted a survey of 2,000 motorists, which found 10 per cent will only check their wheels when the motor is being serviced, but 30 per cent test them ‘a few times a year’.
What's more, 29 per cent admitted they don’t know what the legal tread limit is, while 28 per cent aren’t confident they could identify they needed replacing.
The study, conducted via OnePoll.com, also found 31 per cent said they think the legal limit should increase to more than 1.6mm, and 53 per cent said driving with less grippy rubbers should lead to stricter penalties.
Adam Pay of Halfords said: “Most drivers know using a phone behind the wheel is dangerous.
“What this research shows is that tyres worn down to the current legal limit can actually have an even greater impact on stopping distance.
“The legal minimum shouldn’t be mistaken for a safety benchmark - when tyres reach that point their performance is already significantly reduced, which raises an important question about whether the current limit is where it should be.”
