10-year old tyre ban on UK agenda

The British government is consulting on options to ban 10-year-old tyres from use on buses, coaches, heavy goods vehicles and mini-buses to help keep road users safe.

The Department for Transport (DfT) will consult on legislation to make it illegal for buses, coaches, heavy goods vehicles and mini-buses to run with a tyre aged 10 years or over.

The consultation follows a research project, launched last year, to look at whether the age of a tyre has a direct impact on its safety – the outcome of which will be published later in the spring.

Chris Grayling, transport secretary, said: “Keeping people safe on our roads is our priority, and we have been working hard to understand the link between tyre age and road safety.

“Emerging evidence and leading expert testimony shows us that we need to ban tyres over the age of 10 years from larger vehicles based upon the ‘precautionary principle’ – a move that will make our roads safer for everyone.”