Easter weekend driving ban and £10,000 fine can be avoided through 20p hack
If you're going to be on the roads this Easter weekend, and a lot of you are, make sure you aren't getting slapped with a driving ban and a £10,000 fine over a problem you could spot with 20p to hand.
There are going to be millions of journeys undertaken over the next few days as people travel somewhere for a fun time, but the thing that'd be most likely to ruin a trip is the car you rely on not getting you there.
If you don't want to be stuck feeling like a wally this Easter one big thing you can do is make sure your tyres are in order, as you can end up getting three points on your licence for each tyre that doesn't meet the requirements and also fined £2,500.
So if all four of your tyres have been worn down to illegal levels that's a £10,000 fine and 12 points on the licence which is an automatic ban.
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For context the minimum tread depth is 1.6mm, and if you want to measure it all you need is a 20p piece.
Most tyres start with a tread depth of between seven and nine millimetres and will become worn down over time due to their contact with the road.
If you want to see if it's still 1.6mm or more then you clear out the grooves in the tyre and slide the coin into the gap, if you can't see the outer rim of the 20p then the tyre tread is deep enough to be legal but if it isn't then you'll need a set of fresh rubber.
Tyre Safe recommends checking three separate bits of the tyre with your 20p to make sure the tread isn't worn down in most areas other than the one you're checking.
Doing this test ahead of long journeys like the kind you'd normally do on the Easter weekend is a good idea, as is doing it before your car goes in for an MOT otherwise it might fail the test.
If you think the police will never spot your shallow tyres then think again.
If you end up having an accident or are pulled over because your car looks like it's struggling on the road then they might check the tread depth, in which case you may be in trouble.
On top of the legal issues you might face from driving on damaged tyres your car insurance provider is unlikely to pay out if you're in an accident with 'bald' tyres.
So as well as the driving ban and several thousand quid in fines you're in line for you'll also have to fork over the cost of any repairs yourself.
Like that bloke from that advert used to say, prevention is cheaper than the cure.
Joe Harker