Worn Tyres and Car Insurance
What do worn tyres and car insurance have to do with each other?
Worn tyres threaten the lives of
- Your passengers
- Fellow road users
- Yourself
But that is common knowledge, you might say.
Did you know that your car insurance validity is in jeopardy if you drive on worn tyres?
Should your insurer prove that bald or worn tyres were a large contributing factor to a motor accident, your insurance claim may be rejected on those terms alone, putting you into financial distress.
Worn tyres – a definition
Legally, 1 mm all around is the minimum vehicle tyre tread deepness. As a minimum, however, it is still sufficiently dangerous at that type tread depth. That is because sandy or slippery road conditions require more depth.
So as not to jeopardise the validity of your motor insurance policy, and to remain safe while on the roads, check tyre pressure and depth regularly.
To make absolutely sure, visit a tyre specialist, such as Speedy or Tyre Rama. They will let you know how worn your tyres are. Their expertise should be able to appraise your tyres and identify worn ones, ready for replacement.
Worn Tyres and Car Insurance
Sectionally, your tyres may look not worn but uneven tyre wear is a common occurrence.
It is common to find one worn tyre although another is not. Or one side of your car’s tyres are smooth while the other side is not. Also, front end tyres may be balding faster than the rear end tyres in some cases. This may be due to your wheels being unbalanced or misaligned.
When replacing worn tyres, you are advised to have your wheels aligned and balanced, as any deviation causes uneven wear on your tyres, as well as putting undue stress on other parts of the wheel mechanism system.
Often drivers focus on the tyres on their cars currently, forgetting about their spare tyres. Give it the same level of attention as your current tyres, as in the case of a puncture, you will have to rely on it at a moment’s notice. Check on it regularly to ensure its best working conditions.
Second hand tyres
Tyres that are purchased second hand can be as dangerous as worn out tyres.
Switching out worn tyres for new, fresh ones is recommended every so often, depending on the make and model of the tyre. Resist the urge to purchase second hand tyres, as alluring as their cheaper prices can be.
These refurbished tyres are not typically manufactured to the required standards, and can therefore lead to the revocation of your motor insurance policy.
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All info was correct at time of publishing January 17, 2018
