Motorists To Get Fined By Cops If Found Driving With Bald Tyres

The Motor Vehicle Act was recently passed by the Indian government and was implemented last month. It has increased the amount of traffic fine, which was done to promote road safety in the nation. However, there were plenty of cases that can be found in the headlines due to the higher amount of fines.

Currently, a report stated that traffic police could also issue a challan if a motorist is found driving a car that has been running on bald tyres. Moreover, the official guidelines show that tyres that have clocked more than 30,000 km can be dangerous and hence holds a chance of getting fined. A traffic police personnel said “Under the IMV Act, it has been defined that tyres should be changed after running for 30,000 km or else they are prone to accidents as the grip loosens. So fine is imposed on those with bald tyres as these could cause accidents.”

Recommended Read: How to reduce Tyre wear?

One thing to notice is that the amount of fine for driving with bald tyres is just Rs 100, which is not a significant amount considering the amount of penalty for other cases. Moreover, one person was fined by the traffic police in Bangalore for driving with old tyres on his vehicle. The same report states that a person will be fined if he refuses to pay the fine for using bald tyres and police will slap a fine for ‘misbehaviour with a police officer’.

What Is A Bald Tyre?

The part of the tyre that is in contact with the road is called the tread. It gets worn out over time and when the tread is worn down to the wear bars, you have a bald tyre. If your vehicle has bald tyres, you need to change it right away as it is not safe to drive on such tyres.

Why Are Bald Tyres Dangerous?

When you drive during the rainy season, the grooves in the tyre helps channel water away so that the tyre can maintain contact with the road. This helps reduce the chance of hydroplaning. But, the groove on bald tyres are too shallow to effectively evacuate water from beneath the tyre. Driving on bald tyres in rain can result in anything from difficulty stopping to a complete loss of vehicle control.

Driving with a bald tyre on snow is risky too. Tyre tread pattern gives them biting edge that helps it dig into snow. A bald tyre loses these edges which makes it harder to both start and stop your vehicle. When it comes to dry roads, bald tyres are more prone to get easily punctured. It is easier for a nail or other object to cause a flat tyre.

How To Check Bald Tyres?

You can use a tread depth gauge to determine when to change the tyre. But if you do not have one, all you need is one-rupee coin:

Step I: Take a one-rupee coin and put it in the tread. This will give you a quick estimate of the tread depth by judging how deep the coin goes.

Step II: Repeat this process for all tyres and see how deep the coin goes in every tyre.

Now, if your tread depth is the same in each tyre, there is nothing to worry about. However, in case there is a considerable difference in the tread depth, then it’s a sign that your car is eating away rubber in that tyre.

Don’t let bald tyre worn your drive. Driving on bald tyres is dangerous, so replace your bald tyre before they cause an accident.