Over half of British motorists are putting their lives and those of other road users in danger by letting their tyres drop below the regulation tread depth, a survey by mytyres.co.uk has found.

When asked what would prompt them to change tyres, just 54 per cent stated low tread depth. Even more surprisingly, only 62 per cent would change their tyres due to bulges and cracks.

“Tyres are without a doubt one of the most important safety components on a vehicle, so it is worrying that such a large number of car drivers could be on the roads with illegal tyres,” said a spokesman for Delticom AG who operate in the UK as mytyres.co.uk.

UK law requires that car tyres must have a minimum of 1.6 mm of tread, but experts also recommend that drivers should consider changing tyres when they fall below 2.5 mm in depth. Failure to comply with the law means that a driver could face a £2,500 fine and three penalty points on their licence.

“It is extremely dangerous to drive with faulty or severely worn tyres as this can result in serious and potentially, fatal accidents,” continued the spokesman.

“We strongly urge drivers to do all they can to prevent these types of accidents by regularly checking tyre tread depth and general condition.”