DfT Moves to Ban Old Tyres – Its Not Enough

The Department for Transport has launched a consultation into the introduction of a ban on vehicle tyres that are over 10 years old.

As if it has nothing better to do, the Department for Transport has launched a consultation looking into the possibility of banning tyres over 10 years old.

The proposal covers a wide range of vehicles, including heavy goods vehicles, heavy trailers, buses, coaches and minibuses.

The public are also being asked their views on whether the ban should be extended to include private hire vehicles and taxis.

Frankly, the DfT are bottling it on this consultation, which comes following two fatal accidents, one on the A3 in 2012, and another on the M5 in 2017, where corrosion of older tyres were attributed as contributory factors.

Tyres over 10 years old should be banned from ALL vehicles, and not just those used for commercial purposes. I’d hazard a guess that the number of clapped-out old vans chugging around the streets of the UK are probably packing seriously degrading tyres.

I was also personally involved in the purchase of a second-hand car a while ago, which at the time was 11 years old, and still had the original tyres fitted to it. Those tyres, despite the car being passed through an MOT, and the car dealership happy to take the money, were suffering severe degradation.

Frankly tyres should be changed at a set mileage and/or time limit, whichever comes first. No ifs, no buts.  The DVSA has updated its guidance on maintaining road-worthiness to say tyres aged 10 years and older should not be used on the front axles of heavy goods vehicles, as well as buses and coaches.  How about not at all!!!

If the DfT want to get serious on this, it doesn’t need a ten-week consultation, it simply needs to legislate on something which is blatantly common sense.  More taxpayers dosh being wasted on a paper exercise to tell the ivory tower brigade what the rest of us already know.