WASHINGTON—The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has made routine requests for comments on its information gathering requirements for tire and rim labeling and tire identification and record keeping.
Both notices appeared in the Feb. 19 Federal Register, and the deadline for comments is March 23.
As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, NHTSA is asking affected parties whether the information gathering is necessary for the functioning of the standard; whether it has practical utility; whether the agency's estimates of the burdens involved are accurate; how the agency can enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the collected information; and how the agency can minimize the burden to respondents of the information collection.
Of the two issues, tire identification and record keeping is the one that has become prominent in recent months.
Last December at a conference of the National Transportation Safety Board, the Rubber Manufacturers Association recommended a return to mandatory tire registration, which was repealed by passage of the Surface Transportation Act of 1982.
Low tire registration rates point to the need for mandatory registration, the RMA said. The Tire Industry Association, however, said a return to the original mandatory registration law would create undue and punitive burdens on tire retailers.
The notice on tire and rim labeling can be found here, and the notice on tire identification and recordkeeping here.