Maryland tyre-aging bill dies in legislature

ERJ staff report (TB)

By Miles Moore, senior Washington reporter, Tyre Business

Annapolis, Maryland -- A bill that would have required tyre makers and retailers doing business in Maryland to inform consumers of a tyre's age has died in the state legislature.

A subcommittee of the Maryland House Economic Affairs Committee issued an unfavourable report on House Bill 729 March 14, according to opponents of the bill. The full committee voted quickly to place the bill on summer study, and shortly thereafter Senate Bill 940, House Bill 729's companion legislation, was withdrawn.

Organisations such as the Tire Industry Association (TIA), the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) and the Chesapeake Automotive Business Association worked in unison to rally opposition to the legislation among tyre manufacturers, retailers and retreaders, TIA and the RMA said.

“It is inaccurate and misleading to suggest that tyres deteriorate with age,” said Kevin Rohlwing, TIA senior vice president of training, about HB 729 and SB 940.

The legislation also advanced the misconception that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends replacing tyres after six years of age, Rohlwing said. Actually, he said, NHTSA says the structural integrity of a tyre can degrade over time, but adds that tyre aging generally isn't an issue with vehicles that are driven regularly.

HB 729 was introduced Feb. 8 by Delegate Benjamin F. Kramer, D-19th District, and 21 co-sponsors. It would have required tyre makers and distributors to place a label on every tyre they sold in Maryland stating the tyre's month and year of manufacture, along with a statement to the effect that NHTSA recommends tyre replacement after six years.

Tyre retailers would have had to include the same information on receipts or invoices. If the tyre was more than one year old, consumers would have been required to sign the disclosure, and retailers would have had to give copies to consumers and keep the originals for at least three years. Each infraction of the statute would have been punishable by a fine of up to $500.

Maryland is the fifth state to consider a tyre aging bill, and the third to consider a bill that required age disclosure, according to the RMA. California and Florida previously considered age disclosure bills, while New York and Hawaii considered tyre-aging bills with different requirements. None of the bills passed, the RMA said.

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