How to Check Your Tire Tread Depth

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) and the Irish Tyre Industry Association (ITIA) have warned road-users that sub-standard or incorrect tyres could have serious road safety consequences but the truth is the average Irish motorist doesn’t always give tyres the attention they deserve.

Overlooking your tyres, they say, is a mistake. When it comes to the roadworthiness of your car, and the safety of the people travelling in it, few things are more critical than a good set of properly selected, professionally fitted, correctly inflated tyres.

The AA has advised motorists to check their tyre thread depth regularly and say while the legal minimum tread depth is 1.6mm in Ireland, this is in fact too low. They recommend changing a tyre when the tread depth is down to 3mm. Most motor factors supply a “Check card” that is like a bookmark that fits into the groove of your tyres and will show how much tyre tread depth is left on a tyre.