Almost half (44.1%) of fleets only check their tyres once a quarter and almost a third (29.4%) of fleet managers do not know how often their drivers are checking their tyres, according to research by WheelRight.

The UK-based tyre pressure monitoring solution provider conducted a poll of more than 100 fleet managers which revealed “some concerning statistics” around tyre pressure monitoring.

John Catling, CEO of WheelRight, said: “We were shocked by the results of the poll, which suggest that approximately 75% of fleet managers either know that their drivers are not checking tyre pressures often enough, or (even worse) have no idea how often they’re monitoring this vital element of vehicle safety!

“There are many tyre-related breakdowns and accidents in the UK, so this is a serious issue.”

His comments came as TyreSafe, the independent safety organisation, claimed that more than 40% of vehicle defect-related deaths in the UK in 2013 were found to have been caused by illegal, defective or under-inflated tyres.

The claim came as the organisation launched its annual Tyre Safety Month campaign which will run throughout October and focuses on the importance of driving on tyres with adequate tread depth.