What happens if you have an accident on illegal/bald tyres? Driving with tyres that have a tread below the legal limit - or even worse, are bald - is dangerous. It can put you and other motorists at risk. If you are involved in an accident and the car you are driving has illegal or bald tyres, you should be aware of the consequences. Any insurance claim as a result of an accident could be invalidated, so potentially your insurer won't pay out any money any repairs needed to your vehicle. However, driving with dangerous or defective tyres also puts drivers at risk of a fine of up to £2, 500 and three points on their license. That is per tyre, so four illegal tyres could mean a fine of £10, 000 and 12 penalty points. You can buy tyre tread gauges that help you assess the tread depth of the tyre, plus you can also get more basic colour-coded tools that let you know if a tyre is legal or not at a glance. For more information about tyres read our complete guide to tyre buying or our complete guide to tyre safety and maintenance.