Are your motorhome or campervan tyres in good shape?

With the current uncertainties on making holiday plans, it’s likely 2020 will be the year of the ‘staycation’.

According to YouGov surveys, just 9% of us are considering foreign holidays while at least half will be spending less on their annual break than usual. That will mean we will be turning to the cost effective and self-reliant option of driving our families on a break, whether that be in a car, caravan, campervan or motorhome.

While we’re all keen to get away from it all and enjoy a change of scenery, TyreSafe is reminding drivers there are more tyre-related incidents on the roads in summer than at any other time of the year. As many vehicles have been parked, unattended for longer periods than usual this year, there’s a potential for those incidents to increase in number.

To reduce the risks of an inconvenient – or worse – interruption to a family-getaway, drivers are being urged to carry out some straightforward checks before they even begin to pack. That’s because one of the most forgotten tyre checks is to take a look at the spare wheel – if indeed your motorhome or campervan has one. It’s increasingly rare for a full-size spare wheel to be sold with vehicles when new, instead ‘space-saver’ and emergency repair kits are common.

So, before you load up with all your holiday must-haves, take a look for the spare wheel and if you don’t see one, find out how to use what is there. Being tyre safe before any journey does not take long but remember to ACT – air pressure, condition and tread.

The air pressure of each tyre should also be checked using an accurate gauge, so make sure you know what the tyre pressures are for your campervan before you set off to the petrol station.

Checking overall condition is equally important. Tyres harden more quickly when left unused on a vehicle and as so many vehicles have been parked up for many months, there might well be the risk of that ‘ageing process’ causing the tyres to crack. Where this is seen, or if there are any objects embedded in the tyres or bulges, you should seek professional advice immediately.

Finally, drivers should check the tread of their tyres to ensure they are above the UK legal tread depth minimum of 1.6 mm. Ideally, an accurate tread depth gauge should be used but if this is not available, a 20p coin can be used as a guide. Insert the 20p into the main sections of the tyre and at various points around the circumference – should you see the outer rim at any point, you need to have the tread depth checked as it may be illegal.

Stuart Jackson, TyreSafe Chair, said: “Most of us have spent the several months cooped up and looking forward to a change in scenery that isn’t generated by a TV or computer screen. But that enthusiasm to get out needs to be tempered with some caution when we’re considering driving our vehicles laden with our families on what might well be its longest journey since March.

"This is the season when there are the most reported tyre-related incidents on the road so, to reduce your risk of adding to those statistics, spend five minutes checking your tyres are in a roadworthy condition."