Michelin's Press Releases March 2006 & November 2007

• 66% of cars on the road are running on under inflated tyres.
• 42% are so low they are at risk of crashing
•  6% of all fatal motorway accidents in the UK are caused by under inflated tyres.

If we all pumped our tyres up to the correct pressure UK motorists would save £1billion a year. Just a reduction of 8psi increases rolling resistance by 15% leading to a 3% increase in fuel consumption. And air is free!

If you are driving on tyres just 20% under inflated – maybe as little as 6lbs below the recommended pressure – you’ll get 26% fewer miles out of your tyres. This means that over 70,000 miles of motoring you could save the cost of two tyres, by only having to buy six rather than eight, and this is just by keeping the pressures correct.

Under inflated tyres are not only costly, they are dangerous. Running 15psi under inflated lowers the speed at which the car will aquaplane on a wet surface by 10mph. Also, running under inflated can cause a build up of excess heat that can permanently weaken the tyre’s structure. Low pressure also reduces cornering capability.

(Stoke-on-Trent, November 2007) Michelin has found that almost 80% of cars on British roads are running with incorrect tyre pressures and over 50% are dangerous and risking an accident following the Company’s nationwide inspection survey. 

More than 2,300 cars were inspected at 13 venues in the UK with 36% found to have at least one tyre between 7 and 12 psi below the recommended pressure and an additional 15% were found to be at least 14psi or more below the specified level. At this level of under-inflation a tyre could be 50% below the safe, correct pressure. 13% of the vehicles inspected were driving on a tyre with a puncture, 4% had over-inflated tyres.

The Michelin “Fill up with air” campaign is a pan-European educational roadshow designed to bring home the importance of regular tyre pressure checks and adjustment. Correct tyre pressures are essential for safety and economy. Incorrect tyre pressures adversely affect cornering ability, braking capability and vehicle stability; and under-inflated tyres increase fuel consumption and exhaust emissions.

Campaign results over the period 2003-2007 put the UK in 25th place out of 27 countries ; Germany is best where only 1 in 8 (12.5%) cars have under inflated tyres.

“This is an appalling state of affairs for British motorists,” says Peter Snelling, Head of Communications, Michelin UK. “It is the responsibility of every motorist to check and adjust his or her tyre pressures regularly. It is not an expensive or complicated task and only needs a couple of minutes effort each week.”

“Motorists complain about the state of the roads and the penal cost of motoring but are simply lazy when it comes to the most basic road safety precaution. If we all drove with the correct tyre pressures we would save £2billion in fuel costs and contribute to reducing CO2 emission by 5.5million tonnes per year. Effectively running on tyres 10psi below the recommended level adds a cost equivalent to an extra 3p a litre of fuel.