This winter, drivers across the UK face hefty fines and even points on their licence if they don't carry out one quick check on their vehicle.
Motorists whose tyres are so worn down from use that they appear 'bald' may be hit with a fine of £2,500 per tyre and as many as 12 penalty points added to their licence.
This means that, if all four tyres are found to be inadequately safe, drivers could be forced to pay a staggering £10,000, as reported by Birmingham Live.
READ MORE - DVLA warns drivers to check one 'important' thing before setting out on the road
This is because worn down tyres have a smaller tread depth, which lowers a car's ability to grip onto the road, making driving dangerous for both the owner of the vehicle and other motorists on the road.
With winter approaching, and the roads becoming more icy and slippy, it's crucial that drivers ensure their tyres are above the minimum legal tread depth, which is 1.6mm.
Chief executive of road safety organisation GEM Motoring Assist Neil Worth said: "We rely on our tyres to keep us safe on journeys. After all, they provide the only contact between the car we’re driving and the road surface.
"In an extreme situation, correctly inflated tyres with good levels of tread will allow all the other safety systems on a car to work at their most effective.
"Inadequate tread or incorrect pressure mean one thing: the safety systems on your vehicle will not work as efficiently. That's why regular checks on tyre inflation and tread depth are so important."
The National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) has inspected thousands of tyres, and found that a staggering 98% were not compliant with these regulations.
Of the 10% of MOT check fails caused by tyres, the number one issue is worn down treads.
Make sure you’re UK road legal by placing a 20p piece inside the tyre treads (at different places across the tyre’s width).
If the outer rim of the coin is visible, then the tyre may not meet the minimum legal requirement.
