Pro Installer December 2018 - Issue 69 | Page 35

DECEMBER 2018 | 35 Motoring Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk CAN YOU READ A REG FROM 20 METRES? family cars. This check is a mandatory part of the driving test and there have been calls for drivers to be re-tested at 70. • Since 2013, police have had the power to request a licence be immediately revoked under Cassie’s Law, named after 16-year-old Cassie McCord. The student was killed in 2011 when an elderly driver swerved onto a pave- ment – the 87-year-old had failed a police eyesight test just days before but refused to surrender his licence. With information from the police, DVLA, insurers and finance houses, mycarcheck. com holds comprehensive data on every vehicle on UK roads – things that buy- ers should be aware of before making an offer. Following the worrying police report that 5% of drivers can’t read a number plate from 20metres, mycarcheck.com has highlighted key facts about the basic eyesight test… and confirmed that its own staff can all pass it. • Between 1 March and 20 August 2018, West Midlands Police checked the vision of 81 motorists as part of Operation Close Pass, a campaign to protect cyclists from dangerous over- takes. 4 of the 81 couldn’t read a car registration from approx. 20m. • UK law requires drivers to be able to read a post-2001 number plate in good daylight from 20m (just over 65ft), about the length of two and a half Routemaster buses or four to five IS YOUR CAR SUITABLY ATTYRED FOR THE WINTER WEATHER? We humans are quick to wrap ourselves up as soon as the thermometer falls, yet some British driv- ers assume their car tyres will maintain the same level of performance irrespective of the temperature. They won’t, as the majority are ‘summer’ specification prod- ucts, the tread compound of which tends to harden at ambient temperatures below +7°C, causing a no- table reduction in grip. One thing’s for sure, as soon as the winter really bites, the countryside will once again be littered with abandoned cars, as we never seem ready for the inevitable. This situation is entirely avoidable, as the solution is quick and easy – ie, as recommended by TyreSafe (the award-winning tyre safety organisation), to fit ‘all-weather’ products ongo- ing, or full ‘winter’ specifi- commercial vehicles with the best in traction and handling in snowy and/or icy conditions. It comes in a choice of 18 sizes. cation tyres from now until March next year. Happily, following the introduction of its new WinterCraft WS71 offering, Kumho has the perfect range of products to help UK motorists in this matter, whatever they drive. Additional information and tips re winter driving All-season - car The Kumho Solus HA31 is the ideal choice for drivers of all sizes of passenger car who seek optimum per- formance and reliability in all weathers and, following numerous additions, is now available in no less than 70 sizes. Winter - car Primarily intended for me- dium and large-sized family and executive cars, the Win- terCraft WP71 is available in an extensive range of sizes from 205/55R16 to 275/35R19, and in V and W speed ratings. There is also a choice of four different run-flat sizes including 225/55R17 and 245/45R18. For smaller vehicles Kumho offers the aesthetical- ly-pleasing new-generation WinterCraft WP51 - again, there is a run-flat version in 195/55R16 size. Winter - SUV WinterCraft WS71 - this hi-tech newcomer is aimed directly at the burgeoning SUV market. Initially avail- able in a choice of 24 sizes and H and V speed ratings, it even boasts innovative hourglass-shaped wear indicators for quicker, easier tread depth assessment. The I’Zen RV KC15 is the ideal choice for such perennially popular 4x4s as the Range Rover and BMW X5. Winter – van PorTran CW51 is yet an- other relatively new Kumho pattern that provides light All members of Kumho’s cold weather tyre range feature both M+S (Mud & Snow) and the desirable 3pMSF (3 Peaks Moun- tain Snow Flake) sidewall markings. The treads of all the company’s cold weather products contain additional silica in order to keep them supple in lower temperatures, and additional ‘sipes’ (small lateral grooves) to help best maintain contact with the road in wet, icy and snowy conditions. Whatever tyres are fitted, when driving in wintery conditions it is doubly important for their tread to be of ample depth, and for them to be inflated to the recommended pres- sures. They also need to be in good overall condition and free of such potential- ly dangerous damage as bulges, cracked sidewalls, abnormally worn shoulders etc. As their name implies, ‘all-season’ tyres are a com- promise and designed to safely cope with conditions all the year round. ‘Winter’ ones on the other hand are intended solely for the colder seasons, so need to be paired with an equiva- lent set of summer covers - some dealers even offer a ‘hotel’ facility whereby win- ter rubber can be stored in summer and vice versa. Full details of all Kumho’s cold weather offerings and their stockists can be found at www.kumhotyre. co.uk.