Two Fifths of Britons Driving With Illegal Tyres

March 30, 2011 - PRLog -- After analysing usage data and seeing an increase in voucher downloads for car tyres, the company behind the MyVoucherCodes Mobile Application has conducted research to look into how often Britons keep on top of car maintenance.

The study, which polled 1,491 car-owning Britons, found that just over two fifths, 41%, admitted that they were currently driving their vehicle with illegal worn-down tyres. Of those, the majority, 58%, claimed that the ‘expense’ of new tyres was the main reason for not replacing them, despite the fact that the tread depth would be deemed as ‘illegal.’
According to the research, conducted by the company behind the MyVoucherCodes App, below are the top 10 locations across Britain that are home to those driving with ‘illegal’ tyres:

1.       Manchester – 15% (of those driving with illegal tyres were from Manchester)
2.       Hull – 14%
3.       Leicester – 11%
4.       Plymouth – 9%
5.       Birmingham – 7%
6.       Liverpool – 5%
7.       Newport – 4%
8.       Portsmouth – 3.5%
9.       Bristol – 2.5%
10.   Glasgow – 2%

Of the total respondents polled, less than a third, 31%, claimed to have a ‘spare tyre’ in their car. Furthermore, the research revealed that less than a fifth, 19%, of those asked knew how to change a car tyre themselves.

In addition, less than half of respondents to the study, 48%, admitted to having break-down cover for their vehicle. When asked why they didn’t have the cover, the majority, 72%, cited that breakdown cover was ‘too expensive.’

Mark Pearson, chairman of MyVoucherCodes.co.uk – the UK’s leading discount website and the site behind the mobile application, commented on the findings:
“Having noticed an increase in the popularity of car tyre discount downloads on the MyVoucherCodes app, we thought it would be interesting to look into just how on-top of car maintenance we are as a nation. It was surprising to see that as many as two fifths of people are knowingly driving with illegal tyres, particularly given how dangerous this can be. However, tyres can be extremely expensive; and many of those asked blamed this as the main reason why they were letting their tyre standards slip. This is no excuse, however, and tyres do need to be replaced regularly in order to stay both legal and safe.”

He continued:

“Unfortunately, owning a car can often incur expense without warning as things go wrong, or need replacing. We would always recommend that people check out what discounts are available to them before going down to the garage, as this really can help you save money on things that may otherwise be extremely expensive.”
Since the launch of the MyVoucherCodes Mobile Application, consumers have saved more than £1m by using the 100% free GPS-enabled Apple and Android Smartphone application.
The partnership team have negotiated with the likes of Debenhams, YO! Sushi, Argos, GAP, Fitness First, Hotel Chocolat and more to provide unique deals and discount vouchers for application users.  Deals available on the MyVoucherCodes App are updated daily, meaning that there are not always deals available from every retailer in partnership with the MyVoucherCodes App.  

ENDS

LINK: http://www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk  
 
For more information, please contact Charlotte Horsfall of 10 Yetis Public Relations on charlotte@10yetis.co.uk or 01452 348211.  
EDITOR’S NOTES
MyVoucherCodes Local is the UK’s newest way for local businesses to level the marketing playing field
Local businesses can list themselves on the site, which will enable their location to be shown online and via the MVC Local application.