Tyre aging bills in US may force change in sidewall markings

ERJ staff report (TB)

Washington DC -- Hawaii, California and New York are the latest states to put before their legislatures bills attempting to regulate the age of tyres sold within their borders. The New York bill would mean a change in sidewall markings.

Furthest along is Hawaii's S.B. 1064, a bill that would make it illegal to sell a tyre more than six years after its date of manufacture and set a fine of up to $100 for each such sale. The Hawaii Senate's Transportation, International and Intergovernmental Affairs committee reported the bill favorably Feb. 20 and referred it for further action to the Committee on Judiciary and Government Operations.

AB 496, a bill before the California Assembly, is set for a committee hearing and vote April 14. The legislation would require all tyre dealers to provide written information on sale documents about the age of each tyre sold to customers, in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog and Korean. Customers would have to initial the information to signify they had read and understood it, and dealers would have to keep the documents for at least three years after the sale. Each violation would be punishable by a fine of $250.

The New York Assembly has a tyre aging bill, A05298, before its Committee on Transportation. The bill would forbid the sale of any tyre within the state that did not have the date of manufacture clearly moulded on both sides “in a non-coded fashion.” New York's attorney general would have the power to issue injunctions against the sale of noncompliant tyres and assess fines of up to $500 for each violation.

Late last year, the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs issued a notice of pre-proposal, soliciting comments on the feasibility of requiring the state's tyre dealers to disclose the age of the tires they sell.

From Tire Business (A Crain publication)