RANDOM checks will take place in York and across North Yorkshire next week as police and road safety leaders remind drivers of the dangers of defective tyres.

North Yorkshire Police will be stopping vehicles to check for illegal or badly worn tyres. Motorists who break the law could face fines of up to £2,500 for each tyre.

Officers will be joined by experts from the Tyre Industry Council (TIC) which campaigns for tyre safety. Members will also be holding free tyre checks in car parks across the county.

A recent survey found that almost nine out of ten drivers did not know the minimum legal tread depth for a tyre, while 7.5 per cent of vehicles had at least one illegal or defective tyre.

Sergeant Nigel Atkinson, of the Tadcaster road policing group, said: "We are determined to reduce the death and injury on our roads.

"We are happy to undertake this initiative and aim to encourage people to ensure their vehicles are safe. Simple maintenance can save lives."

Clive Hewitt, of the TIC, said organisers hoped the fourth annual North East England tyre safety campaign would help save lives.

He said: "It is very difficult to say how many accidents are caused by poor tyres, but they are the only contact a vehicle has with the road and should be looked after carefully.

"If you have sub-standard tyres there is no doubt that you are more likely to have an accident as your stopping distances are extended considerably.

"Our message is equally important at this time of year because after a dry spell, rain can combine with rubber and oil on the roads to create a surface more slippery than snow and ice."

The legal minimum tread depth for car and van tyres in the UK is 1.6mm, but the TIC recommends that tyres should be changed at 2mm for safety reasons.

Roadside checks by police and tyre inspectors are planned in York, Selby, Scarborough, Skipton and Northallerton next week.

Updated: 09:45 Saturday, May 15, 2004