Think about your fleet right now. How confident are you that every one of your vehicles on the road today is actually legal and roadworthy?
The numbers tell a stark story: that one in four vehicles on UK roads are driving on illegal tyres. This means if you’re managing a fleet of 60 vehicles, it’s statistically likely that 15 of those could have defective tyres right now. Do you know which ones?
As you prepare your fleet for the harsh winter months, this question becomes even more critical. Shorter daylight hours, colder driving conditions, wetter roads. Winter weather brings the perfect storm of driving hazards, requiring extra preparation from drivers and fleet managers alike. And while winter preparation is essential across the board, tyres sit right at the centre of winter safety.
The state of tyre safety in the UK: a growing concern
The fact is that statistics are just numbers until they’re not. Behind every tyre failure isn’t just a vehicle off the road – it’s a driver, its other road users, and its families.
Tyre Safe’s 2023 report revealed that 16.7% of tyres are already below the legal minimum tread depth by the time they’re replaced. Illegal tyres can carry fines of up to £2,500 per tyre and three penalty points per offence, but the real consequences are far more severe.
In the case of a serious incident, your vehicle could get impounded, becoming the catalyst for fleet-wide inspections. Suddenly you’re paying impound fees while simultaneously having to replace the seized vehicle. And if anything untoward is found, you could be facing potential prosecution, custodial interrogation, and reputational damage you can’t come back from.
Winter multiplies these risks exponentially:
- Over one-third of drivers involved in a collision or near-miss on a major road or motorway say weather conditions played a role
- Cold temperatures reduce tyre pressure and affect flexibility, stiffening the rubber – directly affecting grip
- Wet roads can increase stopping distances by up to 10 times compared to dry conditions
Combine these winter pressures with tyres that are already worn or underinflated, and you’ve got a serious problem on your hands.
Where responsibility really lies
Under the Health and Safety Act 1974, you have a legal duty of care to your employees and other road users. This responsibility sits squarely with you – it cannot be outsourced. Even if you lease your vehicles, or use external maintenance contractors, you remain accountable. Your lease company might service the vehicles, and your garage might pass your MOT, but if something goes wrong, you’re the one who’ll be answering the difficult questions from the authorities.
It’s worth noting that HGV operators are subject to an additional, more formal regulatory standard, but this does not reduce the legal obligations on LCV and car fleets. Even without an Operator Licence, the same level of risk management, defect response, and duty-of-care expectations still apply under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
And here’s where it gets particularly serious: if a driver reports a defect and you fail to act on it, the HSE would say you’re legally “on notice.” This means you are aware of a potential risk, and should that vehicle later be involved in an incident, you’ve created severe legal liability for yourself and your organisation. The courts won’t accept “we thought the garage had it covered” as a defence. The buck stops with you.
Essential winter tyre checks for fleet drivers
Proactive preparation and demonstrable systems become your strongest defence against these winter driving risks. As part of their daily walkaround routine, drivers should ensure they have:
- Water, snacks, and appropriate clothing for emergencies
- An ice scraper and de-icer
- Functioning lights and wiper blades
- Correctly inflated tyres
- Tread depth well above the legal minimum of 1.6mm
- No signs of cuts, bulges, or embedded debris
These checks may seem basic, but they become your evidence trail. When investigators ask, “what systems did you have in place?”, you need documented proof, not just gut intentions. In our experience, while fleet standards are generally higher than those of the general motoring population, inconsistent systems and weak reporting processes mean crucial checks are still being missed. A major contributor is lack of awareness – many drivers haven’t been equipped with the training, tools, or confidence to conduct thorough checks every day.
Peace of mind in a digital age
The good news is that we’re seeing a growing adoption of digital walkaround check solutions like our FleetCheck Driver App, that we believe are synonymous with increasing recognition across the industry that drivers need clear guidance, structured checklists, and real-time defect reporting.
In the past year alone, drivers submitted over 95,000 tyre-related defects via the FleetCheck Driver app – that’s 95,000 potential problems caught before they became roadside failures, collisions, or compliance breaches. When you provide drivers with the right tools and systems, problems get identified early rather than escalating into serious incidents.
Taking action this winter
So, picture this: you receive a phone call about a serious incident involving one of your drivers. Would you have peace of mind knowing your vehicle maintenance processes are bulletproof? That every check has been completed, every defect recorded, every action taken? That if your vehicle is impounded and inspected, you can demonstrate a clear audit trail of compliance?
Or would you get that feeling of sinking dread?
As the nights draw in, now is the ideal moment to reinforce expectations around tyre checks and general roadworthiness – and don’t be afraid to remind drivers of the safety basics!
With robust systems, well-trained drivers, and the right digital tools to back you up, you can sleep easy at night and face this winter with genuine confidence, knowing you’ve done your duty of care to drivers and other road users.
