Recurring concern

Unreliable vehicle tyre safety controls

First to latest report 3 Sep 2014 — 28 Apr 2015

Reports that mention this concern
2
Times this concern has been raised
2
Stated actions linked to this concern
1

What this concern includes

Includes failures of vehicle-tyre safety controls, including tread condition, tyre pressure, fitting and placement, inspection, maintenance, equipment capability and related assurance where these affect safe vehicle handling.

What is not included
  • Excludes broader vehicle approval, braking, suspension, steering or occupant-restraint concerns where tyre safety is not the deficient control.
  • Excludes generic vehicle maintenance or driving failures unless they directly concern tyre condition, pressure, fitting or configuration.
  • Excludes road-surface, weather and road-layout hazards where vehicle tyres are not the shared unsafe condition.
  • Excludes isolated tyre damage or wear where no continuing or recurring failure in vehicle-tyre safety controls is asserted.

Reports and published responses 2 reports

See individual reports that have raised this concern, and the actions taken in response

  1. Wiltshire and Swindon

    AI-generated summary

    Colour Sergeant Martyn HORTON and 3 others · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    On 23 June 2010, four service personnel died by drowning after their Ridgeback vehicle collided with a parked Afghan National Police vehicle, left the road and overturned in a canal in Afghanistan. The report raised concerns about the Ridgeback and related vehicle fleet, including suspension fitness, driver and gunner height restrictions, lighting effectiveness, tyre-pressure equipment, maintenance documentation, emergency lighting and recognition of recurring component failures.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Lack of capability to achieve specified vehicle tyre pressures

    Wider context from the report

    “(IV) Tyre pressures. The Ridgeback in question following recovery was found to have under inflated rear tyres some 13% less than the recommended PSI which I believe is 110. During the course of the evidence I heard the REME maintenance crew at MOB Price did not have equipment to inflate tyres to that pressure and the on board compressor again did not have the necessary capability to inflate tyres over and above 100 PSI. I was told that if the required tyre pressure was to be achieved that the only equipment available was at Camp Bastion and of course the vehicles were not regularly, when on operational service in Afghanistan, travelling to Camp Bastion. I would ask that you review this concern. Tyre pressures are important. Both under inflated and over inflated tyres can materially affect the handling of the vehicles and if there is a specification for a certain tyre pressure then those operating or maintaining the vehicle ought to have the ability to ensure the correct tyre pressure is achievable. Again this potentially is applicable across the Cougar family fleet. ”

    Source location

    Colour Sergeant Martyn HORTON and 3 others · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 2 · concerns

    Open source report

    Source evidence

    How this respondent action was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Investigate options for providing on-vehicle or carried capability to inflate Cougar tyres to 110 PSI.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “As your report identified, there is presently no on-board means (either in terms of vehicle capabilities or by those of use of carried tools) to inflate the tyres to the required pressure. The requirement to check and adjust where necessary, tyre pressures is a daily task defined in the relevant Army Equipment Support Publication (AESP). The MOD is currently investigating means to provide the capability of inflating tyres to 110 PSI from systems contained or carried on the vehicle; this work is being conducted in parallel with work to provide a similar capability for the Jackal and Coyote fleets, consisting of circa 700 vehicles. We expect to have identified options to provide this capability by 30 September 2015.”

    Source location

    2015-0164-Response-by-Ministry-of-Defence
    Page 2 · response
    Published 28 April 2015

    Open published response

    Source evidence

    How this respondent position was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Army Light Aid Detachments have sufficient capability to maintain deployed vehicle tyres at the required pressure without returning to a main operating base.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “As your report identified, there is presently no on-board means (either in terms of vehicle capabilities or by those of use of carried tools) to inflate the tyres to the required pressure. The requirement to check and adjust where necessary, tyre pressures is a daily task defined in the relevant Army Equipment Support Publication (AESP). The MOD is currently investigating means to provide the capability of inflating tyres to 110 PSI from systems contained or carried on the vehicle; this work is being conducted in parallel with work to provide a similar capability for the Jackal and Coyote fleets, consisting of circa 700 vehicles. We expect to have identified options to provide this capability by 30 September 2015.”

    Source location

    2015-0164-Response-by-Ministry-of-Defence
    Page 2 · response
    Published 28 April 2015

    Open published response

  2. Manchester South

    AI-generated summary

    Ryan Reece Bramwell and 2 others · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    Robert John Graham died after his car was struck by an out-of-control Mercedes on the A619 on 13 November 2009. The following day, Ryan Reece Bramwell and Richard Alan Barker were among the occupants of a Ford Escort that aquaplaned while overtaking, collided with an ambulance and entered an embankment. The concerns identified were the placement of tyres with greater tread depth on the front rather than the rear, and limited awareness among Derbyshire police officers of powers to close hazardous roads.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Unsafe fitting of tyres with greater tread depth to the front

    Wider context from the report

    “(A) Both the Mercedes vehicle involved in the first collision and the Ford Escort involved in the second collision had tyres which met the requirements for the minimum amount of tread depth, but there were tyres had considerably less tread depth than those on the front. Evidence was given by the expert vehicle examiners and police accident investigators, that this arrangement with the ‘better’ tyres to the front, is undesirable and did contribute to the effects of aquaplaning and loss of control in each case. It occurred to me that at the very least strong advice by tyre fitters should be given to any driver seeking to have the better tyres placed on the front, and preferably it should be made a legal requirement. (FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE) ”

    Source location

    Ryan Reece Bramwell and 2 others · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 1 · concerns

    Open source report

Actions and positions describe what organisations say in published responses. Implementation is not independently verified.

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Data last updated 7 September 2026