Is your vehicle fit for the road?
It’s Project Edward’s week of action from Monday (13th September) and this year your vehicle is under the spotlight. The campaign will ask if cars, lorries, vans, motorbikes etc are ‘fit for the road’ and highlight the common reasons for deaths on Britain’s roads, while promoting the Safe Systems.
Every week too many incidents on BwD roads mean emergency services are called to respond, often with tragic consequences.
Megan’s Story
Megan’s crash highlights the importance of tyre safety checks and shows how driving with underinflated tyres can be life-threatening.
22 year old Megan Byrne was travelling to her home town in her yellow Mini on Thursday 20th February 2020. She had been staying with her boyfriend in Manchester and was on her way to visit some friends for lunch and then see her mum. Megan was a primary school teacher and this week was half term.
The weather on the treacherous Elton Road at Belthorn was raining with high winds. As Megan approached a left hand bend she lost control of her car, crossed onto the opposite lane and collided with an Audi.
The impact of the crash was so severe that Megan died at the scene. Police collision investigators have confirmed that Megan was driving within the speed limit and did have a seat belt on. However two of the tyres on Megan’s car were underinflated which contributed to the crash. In a cruel series of events police realised that Megan had marked the vehicle handbook on the page about tyre pressures with a yellow post it note.
Megan’s crash was just weeks before her 23rd birthday, her family miss her immensely. Megan’s Mum Joanne, Dad John and brother Josh said:
“Megan was a loving, loyal and beautiful person inside and out with an enormous warm heart. She was full of personality and had a wicked sense of humour. Megan lived every day to its fullest and lit up any room she entered, she blessed so many with her light without knowing it. She was so cheeky, sassy, feisty, forthright and fun loving and was loved by everyone that she came into contact with. She had an exciting and wonderful life ahead of her and loved her life.
“On the 20th February 2020 our hearts broke on hearing the tragic news that she had passed away and our hearts will never fully heal. A massive void has been left here. Our lives are much duller without Megan as we miss her terribly. We know that our shining star is now brightening up the heavens.”
Megan was very cautious about any issues with her car. Only the week before the crash, Megan’s Dad topped up the oil and water as the warning lights for this had appeared on her dashboard. Megan’s tyres were “run flat” tyres so if they were underinflated then it is not possible to visually identify it.
Megan’s Dad advises all drivers:
“Don’t just rely on warning lights on the dashboard where the lamp may fail. Physically check with a pressure gauge regularly.”
To reduce your risk of having a tyre-related incident on the roads, remember ACT:
Air pressure
Make sure your tyres have the correct pressures
Condition
Check for cracks and any bulges – it really doesn’t take long
Tread
Avoid drama and check your tread depths using the 20p test
Visit tyresafe.org for more info and check your tyres once a month, every month
If you know a BwD road that could be safer for all road users take a few minutes to add your comments to this survey: Consultation: Walking and cycling | Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council