With the new university year fast approaching and students up and down the country getting ready to return to their studies, now is perhaps one of the best times to remind young drivers of the importance of regular tyre maintenance and checks.

Vehicle safety charity TyreSafe has therefore issued a call to all students to check the state of their tyres, as research from the body shows that on average, just one in four vehicle owners check the condition of their car's tyres at least once per month.

Stuart Jackson, chairman of TyreSafe, commented: "Being a safe driver isn't just about sticking to speed limits and ignoring your mobile phone. There's also a host of other important responsibilities such as making regular checks and carrying out basic maintenance on your tyres.

"When going back to university, it's likely that the car is heavily laden or travelling a long distance, making it perhaps more important than ever that these checks are completed."

There are three simple but important checks that the organisation is now calling on all students to carry out in order to be as safe as possible on the return to university, with the first being the need to examine tyre pressures to ensure they are in line with the manufacturer's recommendations.

Allowing tyres to become significantly underinflated can have a serious impact on the handling of a vehicle, not to mention the fact that this can also reduce a vehicle's fuel efficiency. Owners should therefore consult their manuals and pump up their tyres if they have lost air.

Meanwhile, TyreSafe is also encouraging student motorists to inspect the tread depth of their tyres, with the legal minimum for taking to the roads in the UK standing at 1.6 mm around the central third of the circumference of the tyre.

A quick way to determine if tyres are likely to need replacing or not is to insert a 20p piece into the tread of the tyre and then to look whether or not the rim of the coin is obscured.

If any part of the coin's rim can be seen, this is a clear indication that tread depth has fallen below the legal minimum – something that can result in significant fines if a vehicle is stopped by the authorities, as well as reducing handling and increasing the risk of unresponsive braking.

Finally, take the time to closely inspect the surface of each tyre for any excessive wear and tear, rips or bulges.

If any of these defects are seen it is imperative the tyre is taken to a garage and replaced immediately, as uneven wear could be as a result of poorly calibrated tracking for the wheels, while lumps and bulges may be due to the internal structure of the tyre failing.

In either instance, it is important for motorists to stay safe and err on the side of caution and have the offending tyres replaced. After all, it is always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to vehicle upkeep.