THIS Monday sees the beginning of Irish Road Safety Week (IRSW) with events and initiatives running until Sunday, October 9.

One of the biggest and most under-acknowledged issues around road safety is the state of the tyres on your car, so in advance of tyre safety day on Wednesday, October 5, the Champion paid a visit to Pat Foudy and Daughter Tyres in Ennis.

Pat showed us some eye-opening examples of the kinds of worn out, dangerous tyres people continue to drive around on, often blissfully unaware of the peril they are placing themselves and their passengers in.

This issue gets even more serious in the winter months when the roads are wetter and driving conditions are generally worse on our roads.

Pat noted that many people seem to take for granted that their tyres are in reasonable condition, especially those driving newer cars.

Often they give only a cursory look at their tyres, and, seeing that the outside of them look in reasonable condition, they believe they are ok to continue driving on.

However, most of the serious wear occurs on the inside, out of sight of a quick glance. In the second of our two videos, Pat demonstrates how to inspect your tyres at home.

On Wednesday, you can download a copy of ‘Your guide to Tyre Safety’ which includes information on buying second-hand tyres.

Pat Foudy and Daughter are inviting all motorists to call in for a FREE tyre pressure check and thread depth inspection during Irish Road Safety Week.