More than 80 per cent motorists are driving on under-inflated tyres, according to new research conducted by Bridestone.
In a survey of 52,400 cars in 15 EU countries in 2009 revealed that 81 per cent of the vehicles had under-inflated tyres.
This habit is leading to the annual equivalent of four billion litres of wasted fuel worth €5.2 billion, and 9.3 million tons of additional and unnecessary CO2 emissions - the equivalent of 3.47g/km of CO2 a year for every car on Europe’s roads.
The 52,400 tyre safety checks were conducted by Bridgestone at shopping centres and public car parks throughout Europe.
They form part of the “Think Before You Drive” road safety education campaign launched in 2005: a worldwide joint initiative of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, Bridgestone Corporation, and national motoring clubs.
Analysis of these test results showed that 26.5 per cent of motorists were driving on seriously under-inflated tyres (at least 0.5 bar below vehicle constructor recommended pressure ) and 7.5 per cent were putting their safety at high risk by driving on severely under-inflated tyres (at least 0.75 bar below recommended pressure ).
Almost 17 per cent of tyres on the road were also worn down below the EU legal minimum of 1.6mm tread depth. Around nine per cent of inspected tyres were both severely worn and severely under inflated.
