Tyres 56 www.aftermarketonline.net JUNE 2024 Safety campaign gets rolling readyfor summer TMO initiative urges garages to help drive home maintenance and safety message to motorists The Motor Ombudsman (TMO) has unveiled its ‘Make Time for Tyres’ campaign as part of its showcase at this year’s UK Garage & Bodyshop Event at the NEC Birmingham on June 5-6 (see pages 21-23). The safety awareness initiative, which is supported by TyreSafe and tyre and road safety campaigner Sophie Lyden, is geared around the concept of ‘time — and has been launched to emphasise the need for vehicle users to regularly check that their tyres are safe and legal, in terms of their pressure, tread depth, and overall condition. According to TyreSafe, every year around 57% of cars on UK roads have tyres that are running at 10% below the optimum pressure levels recommended by vehicle manufacturers. This equates to around 75 million under-inflated tyres, highlighting the importance of increased awareness around this crucial aspect of vehicle maintenance. The blue tick insignia, which sits at the heart of TMO’s widely recognised logo, is a core feature of the design ethos of the ‘Make Time for Tyres’ campaign. It has been incorporated both as a ‘tick for safety’, and a symbol of reassurance and quality, to reinforce the fact that consumers will receive the highest standards of work and service when visiting a garage that is accredited to TMO’s Service and Repair Code, for any aspect of looking after their car, including tyres. TMO has also created a suite of posters for garages to download and display in customerfacing areas. These promotional assets equally bear a QR code for consumers to easily access tyrerelated information on TMO’s website. Bill Fennell, TMO’s chief ombudsman and MD said: “Following in the footsteps of our other previous successful tyre safety awareness campaigns, ‘Make Time for Tyres’ is being launched ahead of one of the pivotal motoring moments for consumers in the year – the summer holiday getaway. “This is a period when millions of drivers are set to take to the roads, and when checking tyres is a vital part of pre-holiday preparations.” However, Fennell said the posters and assets created for garages and consumers “are essentially timeless”, because caring for vehicle tyres is a year-round commitment. Sophie Lyden, tyre and road safety campaigner and depot manager at TMO-accredited Westgate Tyres garage in Morecambe, Lancashire, said: “Driving home the message about consumers putting time aside to ensure tyres are in their optimum condition is an absolute priority. “Just a few minutes of checks could make all the difference.” Stuart Lovatt, chair at TyreSafe, praised the campaign by engaging garages through “innovative eyecatching and thought-provoking” material. “Raising awareness is a job that never stops, and we are always grateful to organisations that spread the word about tyre safety to consumers through their own marketing efforts.” Raising awareness is a job that never stops
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