Government consults on 10-year tyre ban law

The government is to consult on options to ban the use of tyres that are over 10 years old on coaches, buses and minibuses in a move that it says “will help to keep road users safe.”

It follows both a research project launched last year that looked at whether the age of a tyre has a direct influence on its safety, and the Tyred campaign, which was launched after the Merseypride coach crash on the A3 in 2012. Three people died in that accident after a front tyre failed.

The government has already advised operators not to fit older tyres to front wheels. More recently, DVSA announced that it would refer to the Traffic Commissioner any operator found to be using a tyre older than 10 years on the front axles of a vehicle.

DVSA inspections since June 2017 have shown that just 0.06% of PCVs checked were in breach of the earlier government guidance.

Says Transport Secretary Chris Grayling: “Emerging evidence and leading expert testimony shows us that we need to ban tyres over the age of 10 years from larger vehicles based upon the ‘precautionary principle’ a move that will make our roads safer for everyone.”

It is not clear whether the revised law, if introduced, will apply to preserved coaches and buses.