News
Lloyds TSB autolease launches tyre safety awareness programme
Lloyds TSB autolease, one of the UK’s largest fleet funding and management companies, has launched an innovative programme aimed at educating fleet managers and drivers in the importance of proper tyre maintenance and usage.
The leasing firm teamed up with their expert tyre partner Dunlop Goodyear to host the first two sessions at the leading automotive testing and research facility, Mira, near Nuneaton, on 24th and 25th October.
Both sessions included detailed presentations on tyre maintenance, covering a wide range of topics including the construction of tyres, development techniques, environmental impact and noise reduction. These presentations were followed by a series of hands-on workshops where groups of attendees were given the opportunity to experience driving with different tyres in a variety of challenging situations.
Terry Birch, Technical Service Team Manager at Lloyds TSB autolease comments: “We are fully committed to ensuring our customers are driving and maintaining their vehicles safely. We’ve found these sessions to be an invaluable and effective way of raising awareness amongst fleet managers of the need for thorough tyre maintenance."
“At the end of the day, tyres are the only part of a vehicle that is in direct contact with the road so it is vital that the quality and condition of them is properly maintained. Even the smallest change in tyre pressure can impact negatively on the road worthiness of a vehicle and in extreme cases, drivers can face fines and penalty points if the vehicle they are driving is found to have defective tyres. What’s more, how the car is driven will impact hugely on how regular checks need to be. And it’s not just an issue of maintaining safety on the roads – under-inflated tyres will increase fuel consumption and ultimately fuel costs.”
The workshops were developed to reinforce the messages presented earlier in the day with hands-on learning. The wet handling circuit offered attendees an opportunity to experience driving on a variety of slippery surfaces.
The second activity offered an off-roading experience at the helm of a Range Rover Defender and a G4 Challenge vehicle, with the final activity providing the attendees with an opportunity to drive deflated Run On Flat tyres while behind the wheel of a great British mini and a BMW 1 series.
The sessions were a great success and Lloyds TSB autolease has already had requests to host similar events next year.
The need for more attention on tyres was highlighted very recently after Lloyds TSB autolease conducted a fleet survey, which revealed that out of 730 vehicles – that’s 2,920 tyres – 26 per cent had at least one tyre with a tread depth of 2mm or less – a total of 321 tyres on 191 vehicles. This could mean that a quarter of all fleet vehicles on the road in the UK need tyre replacements in order to remain fit to drive.
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For media enquiries, please contact:
Chris Norton or Matt Thompson, Harrison Cowley
Tel: 0870 606 0960 or E-mail: chrisn@harrisoncowley.com
Lawrence Hamilton, Lloyds TSB autolease
Tel: 0161 447 7251 or E-mail: lawrence.hamilton@lloydstsbautolease.co.uk
