COLUMBUS, Ohio—The Ohio Senate has passed a bill prohibiting the sale of unsafe used tires for road use.
The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association, which sponsored the model legislation, hailed the Dec. 13 vote as an important action to protect motorists from worn-out, damaged or improperly repaired tires.
"This is an important step toward reducing risk posed by unsafe used tires that too often find their way back into service," said USTMA President and CEO Anne Forristall Luke in a press release.
Ohio Senate Bill 223 does not ban all used tires, but only those that fail basic safety criteria, the USTMA said.
SB 223 defines unsafe used tires as those with less than 2/32-inch tread depth; damage that exposes steel belts or other internal components; improper repairs; or bulges indicating internal damage.
The USTMA is leading a coalition to advance SB 223, the association said. Supporters of the coalition include its tire maker members as well as the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the Ohio Association of Manufacturers, the Ohio Tire and Automotive Association, the Ohio Conference of AAA Clubs, the Property Casualty Insurance Association and the Tire Industry Association, it said.
A similar, USTMA-supported used tire bill was signed into law in New Jersey earlier this year, but another used tire bill was vetoed in Texas. Arizona approved a bill that was not based on USTMA model legislation, but did officially define waste tires in an effort to keep them from being sold as used tires.