Tyre-related casualties increased sharply in 2025, prompting calls for vehicle maintenance to receive greater attention within the Government’s Road Safety Strategy.
Figures highlighted by TyreSafe show that 201 people were killed or seriously injured in reported collisions where defective, illegal or underinflated tyres were recorded as a contributory factor. This was 19% higher than the 169 casualties recorded in 2024.
Across all injury severities, tyre-related casualties rose by 14% to 667, while the number of reported collisions involving tyre defects increased by 8% to 447.
Tyre-related casualties and collisions
| Measure | 2024 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Killed or seriously injured | 169 | 201 | +19% |
| Car occupant KSIs | 104 | 120 | +15% |
| Motorcyclist KSIs | 36 | 39 | +8% |
| Casualties of all severities | 585 | 667 | +14% |
| Fatal or serious collisions | 139 | 165 | +18% |
| Collisions of all severities | 412 | 447 | +8% |
Car occupants accounted for 120 tyre-related KSI casualties during 2025. Motorcyclist KSIs reached 39, the highest annual figure in the dataset for a decade.
The five-year average for tyre-related KSIs has now risen to 163, compared with the previous five-year average of 150.
Wider road safety picture remains challenging
The Department for Transport recorded 1,538 road fatalities during 2025, 4% fewer than in 2024. However, the number of people killed or seriously injured increased to 29,918.
This represents an increase of around 2% from 2024 and places the total 3% above the Government’s 2022–24 baseline. Serious injuries alone increased by 4%.
The Government’s Road Safety Strategy aims to reduce overall KSIs by 65% and child KSIs by 70% by 2035.
Stuart Lovatt, Chair of TyreSafe, said: “The 2025 data shows that far from improving, tyre-related casualties have jumped by 19% in a single year. That represents 201 families whose lives have been impacted by entirely preventable vehicle failures.”
He added: “Preventative maintenance is a vital element of the Safe System approach. By integrating DVSA MOT data as an official Safety Performance Indicator and backing dedicated public campaigns, we can address better tyre safety management before it leads to disaster on our roads.”
Tyre checks must remain part of driver education
TyreSafe wants annual DVSA MOT tyre failure data to become an official Safety Performance Indicator. The charity says more than two million vehicles fail their MOT each year because of tyre defects.
It is also calling for:
- Tyre and vehicle defects to become a roads policing priority
- A government-funded THINK! tyre and vehicle safety campaign
- A driver retraining course for motorists caught using defective vehicles
