ON THE THIRD day of Road Safety Week regional MSP and road safety campaigner David Stewart is urging motorists to pay heed to the TREAD message.
Throughout this week Mr Stewart has been highlighting areas that, when given due care and attention by motorists, will make their journeys much safer.
Mr Stewart said: “Your vehicles tyres are the only part of the vehicle which actually touch the road surface.
“Acceleration, braking, steering and cornering all depend on your tyres and their contact with the road, that is how important they are.
“The law indicates that to be legal there must be a minimum of 1.6mm of tread across the central ¾ of the tyre and around the circumference.”
The MSP provides his own tips on regularly checking tyre tread and depth – even more important on Moray’s icy road conditions at this time of year: “You take a 20p piece and place it within the tread – if you can see the outer rim of the coin, then the tyre is approaching the legal limit and you should seriously consider replacing it.
“In winter, good tyre depth is as important as ever. I cannot emphasise this point enough. I have come up with the pneumonic ‘TREAD’ to highlight my message.
“If you have tyres with a good tread and grip you reduce you chance of losing traction, control and a collision – T-Tyre safety, R-reduces, E-everyday, A-anxiety whilst driving and D-Distress.”