§ Mr. Tony LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research has been done on the effect of low tyre tread depth on tyres to road grip.
§ Mr. Peter Bottomley[holding answer 17 January 1989]The following reports by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory have been placed in the Library:
- Results on wet cornering done in 1985;
- Supplementary report 672 published in 1981 on straight line grip;
- Leaflet 593 published in 1979—Vehicle Defects and their Contribution to Accidents.
§ Mr. Tony LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of road accidents are caused by insufficient tyre tread.
§ Mr. Peter Bottomley[holding answer 17 January 1989]Well-maintained and properly inflated tyres are important for road safety. Our standards for tyre-tread depth were drawn up with particular regard to necessary adhesion and safety. Accident surveys have shown that although vehicle defects were a main cause in under 10 per cent. of accidents, faulty tyres featured in nearly a third of these. The main problems were blow-outs and wrong pressures. Inadequate tyre depth was a factor in less than 0.8 per cent. of the cases.