Auto Care Articles
Do You Have The Correct Tyres
The tyres on your van are the only point of contact your vehicle has on the road
below. Their condition can have a significant impact on the safety of your
journey, as well as subsidiary factors, such as your van insurance. Keeping your
tyres in prime condition can ensure that you have a better chance of reducing
any risks involved in your travel, whilst leaving them to degrade can put you at
greater risk of more serious accidents.
Tyres that are not properly inflated, carry damage in the form of rips or
punctures or that are worn below the legal limit not only present a danger to
the driver and passengers, but also to other road-users. It is not only the
tyres that you have to take into consideration; it is the variety of
road-surfaces and driving conditions that often go unnoticed by drivers every
day. Bad weather, such as rain or icy conditions can increase the potential for
accidents to manifold. Combine this with poorly-maintained tyres and the
likelihood of a lesser accident becoming a major one is increased dramatically.
The current legislation enforced by the Department for Transport means that
anyone found with tyres that do not comply with road-safety standards can be
fined up to £2,500 per tyre and further incur three penalty points on their
driving license. In addition, any accidents in which your tyres are found to be
at fault can negate your chances for an insurance claim and only serve to
increase the cost of your commercial van insurance premiums.
As well as the safety aspects of caring for your tyres, there are financial
ramifications for van drivers; looking after tyres can help you reduce other
costs. For example, tyres that are incorrectly inflated have a significantly
shorter lifespan than those inflated to the correct pressure. In addition,
incorrectly inflated tyres offer greater resistance to the road surface, not
only increasing their potential to puncture but actually demanding that the
vehicle uses more fuel to compensate.
Many van owners are not aware of the simple procedures that can help protect
their lives, the lives of others and result in them paying lower premiums on
their van insurance. For those that use their vans regularly, a visual check
before each journey will tell you if there is anything obvious that requires
attention, such as a puncture or balding tread. This is especially important if
the vehicle is used by a number of drivers as you will not necessarily know the
type of terrain or the weather conditions that the van has encountered on its
previous journeys. To make doubly sure, it is worth checking that the pressure
is correct once a fortnight, using a pressure gauge. The correct tyre pressure
for an individual vehicle can usually be found in the driver's manual or can be
found on the vehicle itself, such as on the pillar of the driver's door.
Van drivers should also be aware that the law requires the depth of a tyre tread
to be at least 1.6mm in the central 75% of the tyre and this must be continuous.
Checking and maintaining your tyres allows you to travel in the knowledge that
they will act efficiently when you need them to and you could also fin yourself
looking forward to additional benefits, such as cheap van insurance.
About the Author
Julia Niven - Whether you need van insurance for private or business use, our click and buy service means you can arrange your van insurance online in minutes!Visit our site and see what cheap van insurance deals we offer
Contacts
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Julia Niven
Marketing Team
Email: julia.niven@brightsidegroup.co.uk
Article obtained from: free automotive articles