A WINCHESTER garage is offering free tyre checks to motorists in the area after 79 per cent admitted to never checking their tyres.

ETB, based in Easton Lane Business Park, teamed up with Bridgestone to survey 200 drivers across the city, which revealed that despite tyres being the only contact points between a vehicle and the road – and responsible for 159 deaths or serious injuries from defective tyres related accidents last year– Winchester motorists didn’t deem them to be as important as airbags.

The results coincide with TyreSafe’s National Tyre Safety Month taking place throughout October, which aims to raise awareness about the benefits and importance of regular tyre checks.

ETB and Bridgestone’s research also showed that 56 per cent of the surveyed drivers did not know that driving on illegal tyres is dangerous, and none of the respondents check their tyres once a fortnight, which is the recommended period.

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ETB’s Retail Director Paul Nunn said: “We remain surprised that tyres aren’t seen as the number one safety device on a car in the minds of so many Winchester motorists.

"In fact, they are seen as less important airbags, which often go off as a result of defective tyres. The results show us that there is still a lot of education needed around the topic of tyres.

“We’ll be offering free tyre checks for the foreseeable future. We’ll be showing motorists what to look out for and how to check their tyres themselves in the future. For the sake of a few minutes, it’s the least we could do.”

Anyone who wants to book a free tyre check should call ETB on 01962 896443.

More information about tyre safety can be found by visiting the Bridgestone website.