Tire groups rally around RMA's reserve inflation capacity campaign

WASHINGTON (Nov. 9)—U.S. tire associations are joining the Rubber Manufacturers Association to back a proposal for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to establish a reserve inflation pressure capacity for tires. "There is unanimous support for the RMA position" within the tire industry, Armond A. Boyes, chairman of the Retread/Repair Industry Government Advisory Council, said in a letter to NHTSA Administrator Jeffrey Runge. RIGAC—whose members include the RMA, the Tread Rubber Manufacturers Group and the soon-to-merge Tire Association of North America and International Tire and Rubber Association—agree with the RMA position that NHTSA's proposed rule on tire pressure monitoring could be dangerous for motorists without a reserve capacity requirement for tires.