On Friday, the Government blocked the second reading of my Tyred Bill once again.

Five people are killed on our roads every day, so it’s common sense to bring in a law that could save lives on our roads with practically no cost to the public purse. It’s disappointing that the Government refuses to see this, instead insisting on more research into the risks posed by ageing tyres before they will commit to banning them.

The Transport Research Laboratory has been commissioned to carry out this research, so this week Frances Molloy and I attended a meeting with senior civil servants from the Department for Transport to find out exactly what this research would entail. Watch the video below for more.

It was a productive meeting, and we welcomed the fact that the Department genuinely appeared to take the issue seriously, reassuring us that the research would be thorough. We made a number of suggestions during the meeting that were taken on board, and I was pleased to be invited to regular future meetings with the Department to be kept informed of the progress that is being made.

However, we will be paying close attention as the research develops and to the conclusions which are due to be published early next year. This research is not the end of the road. We will carry on fighting for this ban, because old tyres kill and it’s time they were taken off our roads.