Campaign urges mums-to-be to put ‘safe tyres on the pre-birth checklist’

A new awareness campaign has been launched by TyreSafe in a bid to encourage mums-to-be to add tyre checks to their pre-birth checklist.

TyreSafe* says around 700,000 new babies will make their first journey home from hospital this year, and estimates that more than one in four of those journeys may be made on illegal or dangerous tyres.

To combat this ‘shocking’ statistic, TyreSafe has launched ‘Home safely on safe tyres’ to remind mums-to-be to ensure tyres are checked in advance of journeys to and from hospital, before and after the arrival of their new born baby.

TyreSafe says while heavily-pregnant mums may not be able to carry out the checks themselves, they should ask their partner or a local retailer to ensure their tyres’ air pressure, condition and tread depth are safe and legal.

The campaign is being supported by expectant-mum Janine McCarthy who has first-hand experience of the dangers of defective tyres.

Ms McCarthy had a miraculous escape after a defective tyre on her car rapidly deflated, causing her vehicle to spin out of control and crash into the central reservation on a busy motorway near her home. The car flipped six times before coming to a standstill.

She said: “I want everyone to listen and act on the message ‘Home safely on safe tyres’. I was lucky, but defective and illegal tyres can ruin lives.

“As new mums-to-be, we pack our hospital bags with everything we need and check our baby car seats – but we need to add check tyres to our pre-baby checklist.

“There is nothing more important than getting our new-born babies home safely.”

Stuart Jackson, chairman of TyreSafe, said: “As Janine experienced first-hand, tyres are one of the primary safety features on any vehicle and if they’re not roadworthy the car can easily become uncontrollable.

“With so much to remember when a new baby is expected, it’s understandable some things are forgotten, but TyreSafe urges mums-to-be to ensure they add ‘check tyres’ to their checklist.”

TyreSafe
TyreSafe is one of the UK’s leading tyre safety organisations, dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers associated with defective or illegal tyres. Established in 2006, it is a not for profit organisation and campaigns in line with current legislation and duty of care regulations.