WASHINGTON—Seven states are expected to consider legislation setting safety standards for used tires and banning the sale of tires that don't meet those standards, the Rubber Manufacturers Association said.
For the past several years, the RMA has encouraged the introduction and passage of model legislation it devised to keep unsafe used tires off the road.
It succeeded last year in Colorado in winning passage of a used tire bill. This year, the association said, it expects Florida, Georgia, Indiana, New Jersey, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas to consider similar legislation.
“Safety is the highest priority of the tire industry,” said Dan Zielinski, RMA senior vice president-public affairs, regarding used tire legislation. “Laws to stop the sale of worn-out, damaged used tires will help improve highway and motorist safety.”
The model RMA legislation takes aim at used tires that have 2/32 inch or less of tread depth; tires with damage exposing steel belts or other internal components; tires with improper repairs; and tires with bulges indicating internal damage.
Officials of the RMA and its member companies have found numerous examples of used tires offered for sale that have one or more of these obvious danger signs, the RMA said.
According to RMA scrap tire data, some 30-35 million used tires are offered for sale every year in the U.S. An RMA survey shows that nearly one in 10 U.S. motorists have used tires on their vehicles.