Road safety warning following cold snap

Date: 7/2/2011

Drivers are being urged to keep road safety in mind and find out the extent of damage the recent cold snap may have had on their vehicle's tyres.

According to TyreSafe, early signs suggest that this year the number of claims received by insurance companies about damage caused to tyres by road surfaces may exceed last year, due to the freezing weather.

Chairman of TyreSafe Stuart Jackson said it is important drivers take the time to make sure that their tyres are properly inflated in order to reduce the chance of any potential damage being caused.

Should wheels hit a pothole, he recommended that car owners take their motor to a professional to get the tyres checked over properly.

"[Damage] may occur in the form of cuts or bulges in the tyre or, as we have seen increasing cases of, hairline fractures appearing in alloy wheels," Mr Jackson explained.

DIAmond Advanced Motorists, recently claimed that winter tyres can be beneficial as soon as temperatures drop below seven degrees C, rather than just in snow and ice.

Posted by Sarah Bailey