WYFRS Partners with TyreSafe to Boost Road Safety

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) has teamed up with national charity TyreSafe to offer free tyre safety checks at our charity car wash events. These checks, held regularly at WYFRS stations, aim to address the growing issue of defective tyres, which are a significant factor in road collisions nationwide.

As part of the initiative, when a car wash is registered with TyreSafe, a professional from one of their partner companies will attend the event to carry out tyre checks. Earlier this year, three trial events at South Kirkby, Wakefield, and Killingbeck stations saw over 170 cars inspected, with 90 vehicles found to have at least one tyre issue.

The importance of addressing defective tyres is further underscored by national data from the RRCGB (Ras0701) report. The data reveals a rising trend in collisions caused by vehicle defective tyres from 2019 to 2023, with incidents rising from around 150 in 2019 to over 200 by 2023. This upward trend highlights the urgent need for proactive measures like tyre safety checks. Interestingly, the report also shows that collisions caused by using mobile devices have consistently been a major contributor, with a similar rising pattern.

This partnership supports the Mayor of Yorkshire’s Vision Zero strategy, a road safety campaign aiming to eliminate serious injuries and deaths on Yorkshire roads by 2040. The tyre safety checks contribute to two of the five key themes of the strategy - safe vehicles and safe behaviours.

Andrew Shaw, WYFRS Road Safety Lead, said: "By offering this check to people who attend a Fire Station car wash, we hope to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining their vehicles, particularly tyres, which can be a contributing factor in collisions, but is one of the simplest factors to prevent through regular checks and maintenance."

For more information on Vision Zero, visit West Yorkshire Vision Zero online.

The TyreSafe partnership will officially launch this weekend at the Mirfield Station Charity Car Wash, with support from Ring Automotive. The event will take place on Saturday, 12th October, from 10:00am to 1:00pm.

Come down to get your car washed for a good cause, and ensure your tyres are safe for the road!

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