The National Tyre Distributors Association is making safety improvement calls including raising the legal minimum tyre tread depth from 1.6mm to 2.0mm, after its latest study found concerning issues with motorists avoiding tyre replacement. Its study of more than 58,000 vehicles across 141 locations found that one-in-12 (8%) were fitted with illegal tyres below the 1.6mm legal minimum. It found that 40% of vehicles on the road today running on tyres that are either outright illegal or dangerously close to the limit. Northern Ireland recorded a national average of 21% of vehicles on illegal tyres, with a focused study revealing a staggering 57% non-compliance rate. In Halesowen in the West Midlands, more than 70% of vehicles found to be illegally equipped – the worst figures ever recorded in UK tyre safety monitoring.