Research carried out by Michelin revealed that drivers in the UK are letting tyre pressure affect them money-wise. We have previously talked about saving fuel with correctly inflated tyres but the recent figures released show that more than 370 million litres of fuel are being wasted each year. Fuel costs money, which means UK drivers are said to be losing out on more than £440 million pounds. This has been caused by drivers using under-inflated tyres.

Michelin haven’t stopped there, their response was to set up specialist teams and tour the UK and Ireland until October. These teams offer advice on how to save fuel this summer and will actually fill up car tyres to the correct tyre pressure for free.

I was made aware of one particular road show by Sarah Stevenson who directed me to a video made at the road show – please take a look below:

Taken from the Press Release:

Michelin’s head of communications, Peter Snelling, said: “Based on the findings of Michelin’s 2009 campaign, if all of the cars in the UK were running on correctly inflated tyres then motorists would save more than £440 million and more than 370 million litres of fuel a year. As a result, CO2 emissions would also be reduced by almost 1 million tonnes.

“Michelin’s 2010, Fill Up With Air campaign is going to be the biggest to date with more than 50 locations included in the tour.

“It really is a matter of life and death and people should learn to check their tyres regularly and thoroughly which is what we can help them to do.

“Tyres that are under inflated can cause poor handling on the road and potentially lead to serious accidents and put lives at risk.

“Last year we checked more than 5,000 cars and the results showed that some motorists in this country are simply not taking tyre maintenance seriously. This year the Michelin Fill Up With Air team will be visiting more locations than ever before, so if we’re in your town please take 10 minutes to come in for a free tyre check.”

Peter Snelling added: “It is not only the nation’s purse which is suffering but the environment too. If motorists consume less fuel by having the correct tyre pressure then they produce less Co2 emissions which is much better for the environment.”

The research and figures were based on a parc of 30.3 m cars driving 12,000 miles pa at 35 mpg, with fuel costing £1.20 per litre.

Tyre Maintenance Tips

Update: A further video has been released highlighting the issues, looking at a few people who hadn’t thought to check the tyre pressure of their cars.

Thank you to Sarah @seal_witter for the videos.

Related posts:

1. Help save fuel with correctly inflated tyres
2. Buying Cheap Budget Tyres? Information & Opinions on Safety Risks