FLEET MANAGERS SET HIGH STANDARDS FOR TYRE SAFETY

23 December 2013

ATS Euromaster says tyre safety inspections carried out on vehicles driven by more than 300 fleet managers has demonstrated tyre safety standards are relatively high, with 94 per cent of cars and vans getting the green light.

Expert technicians from local ATS Euromaster centres checked the tyres on 301 vehicles in Sheffield, Slough and Dunblane, as part of the Freight Transport Association’s (FTA) Van Excellence conferences held in 2013.

The car park inspections, similar to the routine checks performed by ATS Euromaster on behalf of its fleet customers, saw the tyre tread depth and overall condition of each tyre recorded.

Traffic light-style cards were then left on the windscreen of vehicles which had been inspected, advising of the current tread depths and warning of any action which needed to be taken.

Of the vehicles inspected, ATS Euromaster found 94 per cent had more than 2mm of remaining tread on each tyre. Five per cent received ‘amber’ warnings, advising that the tread depth on at least one tyre was 2mm or below and would need replacing imminently. Just 1 per cent of vehicles were being driven illegally, with one or more tyres below the 1.6mm limit – earning a red warning from the tyre technicians.

Commenting on the recent results, Peter Fairlie, ATS Euromaster’s Group Sales Director, says: “It’s encouraging to see so many fleet managers are ensuring their vehicles are operating on safe tyres.

“These results were much better than we would typically expect if we visited a fleet at random, where we weren’t carrying out routine safety checks. It suggests that fleet managers take tyre condition seriously, and suggests that members of the FTA’s Van Excellence programme are, on the whole, more tuned into vehicle safety issues.

“Not only is driving a vehicle with a tread depth limit below 1.6mm illegal, but it is also extremely dangerous. Tyres are the only part of a vehicle in direct contact with the road’s surface, so ensuring they are regularly checked and in good condition is essential.”

Routine tyre safety inspections are a popular service provided by ATS Euromaster to many of its business customers. The inspections are typically organised where large numbers of vehicles are based such as company car parks or regional depots. Drivers are then advised of any remedial tyre work required, which can be carried out on-site or at one of ATS Euromaster’s 350 UK-wide centres.

Fairlie adds: “Fleets understand how important driver safety is and by ensuring their vehicles’ tread depths are regularly checked, Fleet Managers are taking a simple step to keeping their drivers safe on the road.”

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About ATS Euromaster

Birmingham-based ATS Euromaster Ltd is part of the Euromaster Group, which operates in 17 European countries with 11,271 employees in more than 2,000 service centres. Established in Great Britain since 1965, ATS Euromaster has approximately 350 centres (a mixture of retail, comprehensive and truck locations), approximately 900 mobile service vans and employs in excess of 2,600 people, providing coverage nationwide. It is the largest comprehensive tyre distributor supplying tyres for everything from cars and vans to trucks, coaches, forklifts, farm machinery and construction plant. ATS Euromaster was the first national tyre expert to be accredited by both SAFEContractor and the Contractors Health and Safety Scheme (CHAS), and also holds the Silver Award for Occupational Health & Safety from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. The company’s technicians are amongst the most highly trained in the fast-fit industry, offering a comprehensive range of products and services including tyres, wheels, fleet inspections, nitrogen inflation, brakes, batteries, shock absorbers, oil, exhausts, fault diagnostics, air-conditioning servicing, scheduled maintenance servicing and MOT testing. Further information is available from www.atseuromaster.co.uk 

Note to editor: For press information please contact Faye McBride or James Keeler on 020 8647 4467.

ATS/496/13

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