Tyres

If you are in any doubt as to whether your tyres are road worthy, take your vehicle along to a reputable garage that will be able to advise you.

The law relating to tyres is as follows, they must:

• Be suitable for the purpose of their use.
• Be inflated as to be fit for the purpose for use to which vehicle is being put (your manual will have the recommended inflation for your vehicle).
• Have no portion of the ply or cord exposed.
• Have no lump, bulge or tear caused by separation or partial failure of its structure.
• Have the base of any groove, which showed the original tread pattern clearly visible.
• Have no cut in excess of 25 mm or 10 percent of the section width of the tyre, whichever is the greater, measured in any direction on the outside of the tyre and deep enough to reach the ply or cord.

The grooves of the tread pattern of the tyre have a depth of at least 1.6 mm (for most vehicles) throughout a continuous band measuring at least three-quarters of the breadth of the tread and round the entire outer circumference of the tyre; or if the grooves of the original tread pattern of the tyre did not extend beyond three-quarters of the breadth of the tread, any groove which showed in the original tread pattern has a depth of at least 1.6 mm

There is no specific legislation referring to snow chains.

However regulation 27(1)(a) of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 states - the tyre must be suitable having regard to which the vehicle or trailer is being put or to the type of tyres fitted to its other wheels.

This could mean that a person may commit an offence if they use snow chains when there is no snow.

Please see the related website for further information.