Racing driver and Formula One presenter Naomi Schiff is on a mission to deliver an urgent message to motorists – check your tyres to save both lives and a heap of cash.
This Tyre Safety Month, Esso and Kwik Fit have joined forces to offer UK drivers free tyre checks at 70 selected Esso sites nationwide.
Campaigning against underinflated tyres, Esso’s mission is to help UK motorists check and adjust their tyre pressure through a series of pop-up and roadshow events, encouraging better fuel efficiency and road safety.
Statistics show that UK motorists could be wasting between £600million and £1billion in unnecessary fuel bills owing to underinflated tyres, with a shocking 153 motorists per year being injured or killed in tyre-related incidents.*
And with Esso eager to help UK drivers save on fuel by teaching them how to check their own tyre pressure correctly, Rwandan and Belgian star Schiff is similarly imploring the public to make sure they’re not wasting money or risking lives.
She said: “The statistics are obviously concerning, but they also re-emphasise how important it is to have a campaign like this to educate people on how often they should be checking tyre degradation.
“We just want drivers to be safe and not lose any money. In a time like this when there’s a cost-of-living crisis, any money you can save can really go a long way.
“It’s super encouraging to see two leaders in their respective fields come together to provide the nation a free service, that’s not just offered in one location but all across the country.”
Britain’s motorists can visit 70 participating Esso forecourts across the country between October 17-28 to check their tyres for nothing, while staff at Esso and Kwik Fit will be handing out portable tyre checking devices and nectar points free of charge.
Hundreds of drivers are killed or seriously injured in tyre-related incidents every year, with over 27% of tyres already illegal when they are replaced.*
As a Kwik Fit mechanic and service technician, Sully Pearson knows how quick and easy it is to check your tyres – with countless cost and safety benefits for those who do it regularly.
He said: “Underinflated tyres, if they get really bad, will need replacing and sometimes it can even damage the rim.
“It only takes a couple of minutes to check your pressures and not much longer to fill them up – so only five, ten minutes out of your day to save yourself a lot of money and hassle.”
One in five drivers have never checked the tread on their tyres, a startling number which rises to one in three among young drivers.
And just under 21% of motorists are confident when using a tyre pump at a service station.
Martin Delahunty, Kwik Fit Operations Manager, added: “We’re seeing more and more people coming into our garages with either a TPMS light or a warning light on.
“That indicates that you’ve got an issue, whereas if they were to check it once a month it would prolong the life of the tyre and save them fuel and money.
“People aren’t confident checking and filling up their tyres but they should realise it’s a lot easier than they think.”
Find your nearest participating Esso forecourt at www.esso.co.uk and in 2023, Esso customers can visit any Kwik Fit garage nationwide to receive a free ‘Fuel Saver Car Check’ offer
*Facts and figures from TyreSafe data
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