One in four trailer breakdowns caused by dodgy tyres, safety chiefs warn 

Tyre-related breakdowns involving working trailers are rising sharply on Britain’s busiest roads, prompting road safety charity TyreSafe to call for tighter maintenance standards among commercial and utility users. Its analysis of four years of Strategic Road Network data shows that tyre defects remain responsible for more than a quarter of breakdowns involving towed vehicles.

One in four towing breakdowns linked to tyres

TyreSafe analysed breakdown data from the Strategic Road Network covering 2022 to 2025. The figures show that towing-related breakdowns have risen to 4,830 incidents a year, with tyre problems accounting for between 25% and 28% of all breakdowns involving towed vehicles.

“For every four towed vehicles grounded on the side of the road, one is there specifically because of a preventable tyre failure,” said Stuart Lovatt, chair of TyreSafe.

He added that although collisions involving towed vehicles had fallen by 17%, reliability was deteriorating, resulting in thousands of hours of avoidable disruption across the road network.

The figures point to a widening gap between leisure towing and trailers used for work.

Caravan tyre failures have fallen by 6% since 2022. By contrast, trailers now account for 48% of all tyre incidents recorded in the analysis. There were 755 trailer tyre failures, compared with 836 involving caravans and horseboxes combined.

Horseboxes are also showing a worsening trend, with tyre failures up 21.5% since 2022.

North West records steepest increase

The North West of England has emerged as the biggest hotspot. Trailer-related tyre incidents in the region have increased by 40% since 2022, and the area now accounts for 21% of all tyre problems recorded nationally.

TyreSafe highlighted the M6 and M62 corridors in particular, two strategically important routes for passenger and commercial traffic. Horsebox tyre incidents have also risen markedly in the North West and the East of England.

Campaign turns towards working trailers

The findings are changing the focus of TyreSafe and the UK Towing Safety Alliance, of which the charity is a founding member.

Their 2026 campaign will place greater emphasis on what TyreSafe calls the “working trailer”, moving beyond the traditional focus on holiday and leisure towing towards professional roadworthiness among trade and utility users.

TyreSafe is urging operators to check tyre pressure, physical condition and tread before every journey. Pressure should match the manufacturer’s recommendation for the load, while tyres should be inspected for cracking, bulges and embedded objects.

For trailers and horseboxes that spend long periods stationary, the organisation recommends replacing tyres after six to ten years regardless of remaining tread depth. Tread should in all cases meet the UK legal minimum of 1.6 mm.

For commercial trailer operators, the figures underline the operational consequences of maintenance failures as well as the safety risk: a tyre defect can leave a vehicle stranded on a motorway or major A-road and add further disruption to already heavily used freight corridors.