THE Metropolitan Police is giving official backing to a revolutionary tyre pressure monitoring system by fitting it to its fleet of rapid response vehicles. An order for 150 of the £249.95 systems from SmartTire Europe is part of a radical safe driving programme at the force in a bid to cut accidents when responding to emergencies on the city's overcrowded roads.

Already, the force has decided to fit 'black boxes' to the same vehicles as part of a £250,000 investment in safety systems for 500 of its Rover and Vauxhall cars. The boxes allow for a second-by-second assessment of a driver's actions before a crash. The force investment in SmartTire provides a wireless monitor of pressures with an audible and visual warning for the driver.

The deal comes as the RAC Foundation revealed that more than half of motorists cannot remember when they checked tyre pressures on their vehicles. A third had no idea what the correct pressure should be.