The Road Safety Authority (RSA) and the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) are running a campaign, which highlights the potential dangers of fitting part-worn tyres.

In its latest campaign the RSA has highlighted the cost and potential danger of buying second hand (part-worn) tyres.

Such tyres can pose a serious road safety risk, according to the RSA. The history of a second hand tyre is relatively unknown – it could have been involved in a crash or have internal damage, which may not be visible once fitted to your vehicle. Even if these tyres meet the minimum tread depth requirements, they may not uphold in an emergency braking or steering situation, the RSA has warned.

Motorists are being advised to know what the legal requirements are before considering a second hand tyre. It is an offence to drive with defective or worn tyres and motorists risk a fine of €80 and up to 4 penalty points upon conviction.

Motorists should also think about whether or not they are getting real value for money. For example; a second hand tyre costing €30 has tread thickness of 3.6mm. Therefore, it has 2 mm of useable tread before it reaches the minimum legal tread depth of 1.6mm. This works outs at €15 per mm of usable tread.

On the other hand, a new tyre costing €80 has 8mm of tread. Therefore, it has 6.4 mm of useable tread before it reaches the minimum legal tread depth of 1.6mm. This works out at €12.50 per mm of useable tread, and therefore offers better value. In addition to the increased costs in this example, you would have to buy and fit three sets of these part worn tyres in order to get the same life as one new set of tyres.