During a busy multi-agency operation day across Great Britain at the end of last month, this vehicle was pulled over by the police at Strensham services.
Examiners investigated and found 11 defects on the towing car, including a tyre with exposed cords and multiple steering and suspension defects.
It was also pulling a trailer with 5 defects which included a tyre with exposed cords, a hand brake cable which wasn’t connected at either end and insecure trailer coupling.
The vehicle and trailer were immobilised until repaired. The driver was issued a fixed penalty notice for dangerous use.
Every time you drive you should check:
- the windscreen, windows and mirrors are clean
- all lights work
- the brakes work
Your vehicle’s handbook will tell you how often to check the:
- engine oil
- water level in the radiator or expansion tank
- brake fluid level
- battery
- windscreen and rear window washer bottles – top up with windscreen washer fluid if necessary
- tyres – they must have the correct tread depth and be free of cuts and defects
The handbook will also tell you when your vehicle needs to be serviced.
Tyre tread
Tread must be a certain depth depending on the type of vehicle:
- cars, light vans and light trailers – 1.6 millimetres (mm)
- motorcycles, large vehicles and passenger-carrying vehicles – 1mm
Mopeds only need to have visible tread.
There must be tread across the middle three-quarters and around the entire tyre.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
