The Importance of Tyre Safety: Megan’s Story

Tyre safety is something that we are always talking about. This is because it is something that needs constant attention and awareness to ensure both your safety and others out on the road. Megan’s story is one of those that should make us all realise the importance of tyre safety and what the worst possible results could be from having defective tyres fitted to your vehicle and missing regular checks that could be life saving. 

Megan’s Story

On Thursday 20th February 2020, Megan was driving to her hometown in her own car. She had recently qualified as a primary school teacher and was travelling from her boyfriends to visit some friends due to it being half-term. The weather was poor, with high winds, wet roads and rainfall which in this case, could have been a contributing factor to what happened next. 

As Megan approached a left-hand bend, she lost control of her car, and as a result swerved into the opposite lane and collided with a large family car. Although emergency services were in attendance and did everything they possibly could, the collision had been too severe and Megan was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Cause of the Crash

Police collision investigators confirmed that although Megan was driving at the legal speed limit and was wearing a seatbelt, two of her tyres were underinflated. These ended up being a major contributing factor to what caused the collision. Megan’s family wanted to share her story to ensure people regularly check their tyres and as a result, don’t also have to go through the pain of losing a well loved family member to a tyre safety tragedy.

Tyre Safety Checks to Carry Out

Underinflated tyres, like Megan’s, can cause major issues with your tyres braking performance, and as your tyres are the only contact your vehicle has to the roads, they need to always be in good, road-worthy condition at all times. Below we wanted to list a few key checks you need to make sure you are taking regularly to ensure your utmost safety out on the roads.  

• Tread depth – Tread depth refers to the measurement between the top of the rubber and the bottom of the tyres deep grooves. Having efficient tread depth means your tyres can grip the road surface properly, especially during wet weather conditions. The legal tread depth limit is 1.6mm however we always recommend changing your tyres at 3mm.
• Tyre Pressure – Tyre pressure is vital to get right. Both under inflated tyres and over inflated tyres can cause catastrophic errors. It can mean you have less control and handling of your car, as well as reducing the grip your car has on the road, especially at high speeds. To work out the correct pressure, refer to your cars manual for the correct information. 
• General tyre wear and tear – Your tyres put up with a lot day to day, so can wear down and get damaged easily. Check for any lumps, bumps or abnormalities regularly to check for anything you think could be even the slightest risk. 

For the full story, head over to the Tyre Safe website.

Looking after your tyres could save your life. To expand on just how important it is to have safe, well-maintained tyres, we have compiled global collisions information from around the world, with stats and figures showing just how large a role tyres play in road safety.