US tyre groups slam proposed tyre age bill

retreadedOPPOSITION from tyre associations, Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA), Tire Industry Association (TIA), and the Chesapeake Automotive Business Association (CABA) hits certain provisions in the proposed tyre ageing bill being currently heard before the Maryland House Committee on Economic Matters.

Maryland House Bill 1110 sponsored by state delegate Benjamin F. Kramer, D-19th District is requiring the state-based tyre merchants to present to consumers a printed statement on the dangers of tyre ageing whenever they sell used, recycled or retreaded tyres. Sold tyres that are more than three years past its manufacture date also require said statement. Failure to comply carries a penalty of US$250.

The bill’s author also sponsored a previous bill, which also met strong opposition from the three tyre groups. The said bill required all tyre makers and sellers in the state to inform consumers of the age of every tyre they sold,

Kramer asserted that every auto maker now informs motorists to change tyres after six years of age, regardless of tread depth, likewise citing research undertaken by the auto industry and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

This was countered by RMA, citing its own research that there shows no correlation between a tyre’s chronological age and its tendency to fail, adding that performance of tyre can also depend on how it is stored – whether outside where it is exposed to heat or inside a ventilated area.

TIA, on the other hand noted that the bill would affect inventory. It rationalised that tyres age when they are used but not before.