Are you checking your tires every day? Want to know how To Keep Your Tyres Safe ?

Thousands of accidents a year on Britain's roads could be prevented if the minimum tyre tread depth is increased by 1.4mm, according to the shock findings of an Auto Express investigation. In the first study of its kind, we compared how much more quickly a car fitted with tyres that have 3mm of tread left on can halt from 70mph in the wet, as opposed to when the rubber is on the 1.6mm legal limit.

Our test involved performing an emergency stop while driving along a soaked tarmac test track. The results (see box) are horrifying, and show that the state of your car's tyres can mean the difference between avoiding an obstacle or hitting it at 50mph. 

It's all down to the fact that braking performance in the wet drops off significantly once the tyre's tread level falls below 3mm. We found it can take a staggering 44 metres - about 10 car lengths - more for a motor to stop at motorway speeds in the rain if its rubber is on the legal limit.

Worryingly, there are plenty of vehicles on our roads that have less than 3mm of tread. We randomly checked 100, and found 67 had at least one tyre that was below this safety threshold. It's little wonder, then, that Government statistics show one-fifth of the 98,845 serious injuries and fatalities resulting from motoring accidents in wet conditions during 2004 involved cars skidding.

Obviously, if the legal limit was increased, we'd all have to replace our rubber more regularly. But according to one leading tyre maker, this would add only £20 a year to the cost of motoring for the average driver. That's just 39p per week, and a small price to pay to improve road safety. 

You could argue the minimum depth should be even higher, as the more tread the better. However, in 2003 an independent study by motoring research centre MIRA showed that around 3mm was the critical depth. Tests were carried out while driving at 50mph, but until now no research has been done at motorway speeds. 

So, to corroborate this previous evidence, we also brake tested a Ford Focus on tyres with 5mm of tread. On average, it took 82 metres to come to a halt - nine metres sooner than when fitted with 3mm rubber. However, with the tyres on the legal limit, the stopping distance increased significantly to a scary 135m.

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