New tyres come with at least 7mm of tread. On a new road surface they can stop a car travelling at 60mph in less than 50 metres. But what about a typical car on a typical road? How confident can drivers be that they, and the cars behind, can pull up quickly in an emergency? The risks are many times greater if tread depths are close to the legal limit and the emergency is on a wet,
worn-out road surface.
The AA Motoring Trust and the County Surveyors’ Society have jointly funded a review of tyres, road surfaces and road accidents. This report summarises and develops the key findings and advice. Surprisingly, it is the first of its type to probe the real-world combination of tyres and the roads that people drive on daily.