A Michelin ‘Fill Up with Air’ event at Zenith’s office in Leeds found that 55% of the 82 cars checked had the wrong tyre pressure.

Only 12% of the vehicles tested (a mix of grey fleet and privately-owned vehicles) had the correct tyre pressure.

A third were under-inflated by between four psi and seven psi – a level considered acceptable for a short period of time.

However 47% had tyre pressures regarded as dangerous, 6% were at levels considered to be very dangerous, and 2% had all four tyres over-inflated.

If these cars were driven on tyres at the correct pressure, safety would be significantly improved.

Furthermore, Michelin estimates that owners could collectively reduce carbon emissions by 3.2 tonnes each year, and save nearly £2,000 annually in fuel costs because cars with tyres at the correct pressures use less fuel. 

If the results from the 82 cars tested are indicative of all vehicles driven by Zenith’s 200 employees, the potential savings could be double that amount.

Zenith invited a team from Michelin to visit its headquarters as part of  an environmental campaign designed to significantly reduce Zenith’s carbon emissions, while also encouraging safer driving.

The business, which manages more than 38,000 vehicles across the UK, has recently launched a new environmental awareness initiative as part of its CSR policy encouraging all employees to play their part in reducing carbon emissions.

Mark Connor, operations director at Zenith, said that regular tyre inspections are a simple but effective first step to achieving the business’ new environmental targets.

He said: “We are dedicated to reducing our company’s carbon footprint and we know that having over-inflated or under-inflated tyres can dramatically affect how safe a vehicle is as well as its fuel efficiency.

“Michelin’s ‘Fill Up With Air’ events are an engaging and practical way to get that information across to our employees and many of them are now more aware of how important regular tyre care is for the environment and for their safety.

“The event has been a great way to start our new environmental campaign and the savings highlighted by Michelin have given us a target for the future.”

Zenith is exploring the possibility of working with Michelin to hold more ‘Fill Up With Air’ days with its employees and its fleet customers in the future.

Picture caption: Michelin's key account manager Martin Thompson (left) with Zeniths maintenance manager Mark Potter (right) at the 'Fill Up With Air' event

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