Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 13 June (HL16129), what scientific studies, if any, were the basis for determining that the maximum safe life of a tyre on a heavy goods vehicle or coach is 10 years.

The revision to the Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness, introduced on 5 November 2018, included best practice guidance on managing the age of tyres fitted to heavy vehicles. It followed earlier Department for Transport advice, issued to bus and coach operators, in response to expert evidence provided to Her Majesty’s Coroner following the loss of three lives in a road traffic collision in 2012.

In parallel, emerging evidence from Department for Transport research, suggested that age does influence the properties of a tyre. This emerging evidence, together with expert opinion, supported the use of the precautionary principle for the changes to the roadworthiness guidance.