This October has been named ‘Tyre Safety Month’ by not-for-profit campaign TyreSafe, who are seeking to highlight the safety benefits of switching to winter tyres. This campaign has now won the backing of car maker SEAT.
With another winter fast approaching in the UK, and with fears that more of the harsh weather seen in recent years could lead to chaos on British roads and potentially even the loss of lives, Spanish car manufacturer SEAT have thrown their weight behind a TyreSafe campaign to get the message out to UK motorists that switching to winter tyres can offer significant improvements in safety.
SEAT will now use its network of over 20 dealerships across the country to launch an extensive campaign to highlight the benefits of specialist winter tyres and to let customers know how easily their tyres can be switched over.
Across much of continental Europe the use of different tyres for summer and winter is standard practice amongst the majority of motorists, but uptake in the UK has been slow. This latest campaign aims to get the message across that winter tyres are not just for driving in icy or snowy conditions – whenever the temperature drops below 7 degrees centigrade the summer tyres which are fitted as standard when you buy a car will begin to lose their flexibility, and hence some of their grip. Considering average winter temperatures in the UK, which are below 7 degrees, the use of winter tyres, made from a special compound which retains flexibility in lower temperatures, is therefore recommended for the whole of the cold season. The benefit of improved grip on ice and snow should be seen as an added benefit of winter tyres and not their only purpose.
In a demonstration video which is now available to view on the SEAT website the firm show that their popular Ibizas model had a stopping distance of a full four metres, almost a full vehicle length, less when driving on ice with winter tyres, compared to summer tyres.
In addition to switching over your tyres SEAT dealers are now also offering a range of winter accessories such as de-icer, windscreen washer concentrate, incident safety kits and SEAT-approved spare bulb and fuse kits.
Related used car searches
Search used Seat
