17 Jul HOW A 20 CENT COIN COULD SAVE YOU THIS WINTER
All too often motor vehicle accidents occur as a result of something that could have been avoided with some simple vehicle checks and maintenance. Vehicle maintenance is an important responsibility that comes with owning a car and usually it doesn’t take expert knowledge to keep your car in good health.
Perhaps the most common maintenance issue effecting millions of drivers every day is driving on worn tyres with the incorrect tread depth. We have a 20c Coin test that could help you recognise one common maintenance issue.
According to statistics, nine in ten Australians don’t know what the minimum tread depth is…
The legal minimum tread depth in Australia is 1.5mm (This means that the tread across the entire tyre must be not be shallower than 1.5mm).
Your tyres are the only thing holding your vehicle to the road, they are responsible for the movements of the car, the car’s breaking point and are also responsible for handling power. If you’re driving with low tread on your tyres, not only are you driving illegally – but you’re also putting your life and the lives of your passengers and other road users in danger.
If a tyre’s tread is low, then the car’s ability to handle well in wet conditions is dramatically reduced, leaving the driver and other road users vulnerable to an accident in slippery conditions.
How do you know your tyres need changing you ask? Well it’s extremely easy to check your tyre tread depth. Introducing the ‘coin test’;
20c Coin Test
1. Place a 20 cent coin in the tyre grooves
2. Check if the tyre tread reaches the bill of the platypus on the 20 cent coin
3. If it doesn’t reach the platypus’s bill, then it is time to replace your tyres!
It’s important as car owners that we take the necessary steps to prepare our cars for the winter months – not only for the safety of ourselves, but for others on the road too. This simple test takes next to no time and will give you the piece of mind your car is safe to drive in wetter conditions.
If you need any assistance with any of the above, please just let us know and we can make a time to show you how to do these things! Call us on 0419 895 289 to book in today or contact us here.