Bridgestone is making a festive road safety plea for motorists driving home for Christmas.

Latest research from the tyre giant revealed that more than half (54%) don’t regard driving on illegal tyres as being potentially life threatening, with only 14% describing them as the most important safety feature on their cars.

The survey of 2,000 also showed that despite tyres being the only contact points between a vehicle and the road – and responsible for 159 deaths or serious injuries from defective tyres related accidents – 81% admitted to never checking their tyres for signs of wear or damage.

More than 5,000 people are have been killed in tyre-related incidents on roads in the last five years and there are an estimated 10 million illegal tyres on UK roads.

In the run up to Christmas – and many people making more journeys to see loved ones over the holiday period – Bridgestone has renewed its call to get motorists to find a few minutes to check their tyres.

“Driving over the Christmas holidays is something everyone should prepare for,” said Bridgestone’s North Region Vice President Andrea Manenti.

“It is not only about having the right tyres; the driver’s behaviour is also essential in these conditions as he or she needs to understand and adapt to different winter hazards.

“It is therefore crucial to not only prepare our vehicles, but also ourselves when the weather gets cold, as we are seeing at this time of year.”

Bridgestone’s top tyre tips for motorists

• Periodically check traction, or available grip, when driving in challenging conditions. Apply the brakes with moderate pressure to determine the available grip and modify your driving, if needed, to respond to ever-changing road conditions.
• Under-inflated tyres not only compromise motorists’ ability to brake and manoeuvre safely, but they also consume more fuel and wear out faster. Information on the recommended tyre pressure can be found in the operating manual, on the inside of the door pillars or under your fuel cap.
• The legal minimum tread depth is 1.6mm. Insert a 20p coin in the tread; if you can see the border, it’s time to change the tyres.
• Maximise available grip by separating driving manoeuvres when negotiating a curve. Brake to an appropriate speed while travelling in a straight line prior to a curve. This allows you to use all the available grip for negotiating the curve. Accelerate gradually when you are able to straighten the steering wheel at the exit of the turn.
• Avoid cruise control in wet, icy or snowy conditions. Maintain control of acceleration and deceleration at all times.
• Avoid driving in bad weather conditions. Your safety comes first.