Reading: Controversial New Tyres Bill Blasted by Industry Group

By Oliver Hall

A new law which requires tyres dealers to provide tyre aging information on sales contracts has been slammed by a leading industry group.

The new bill would do nothing but provide misleading information to consumers, while putting tyres dealers at a competitive disadvantage to auto dealers, according to the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA).

If the bill is passed into law all tyres dealers in California would be required to provide age information on every tyre they sell or face a $250 for each violation.

The bill also gives tyre buyers the explicit right to sue tyre dealers that don’t provide tyre age information.

The RMA set out its objections in a letter to the California Senate Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development ahead of a hearing into the proposed bill on 6th July.

Daniel Zielinski, RMA senior vice president, said in the letter that the bill “will become a vehicle for lawsuit abuse at the expense of the tyre industry while doing nothing to promote motorist safety.”

He added that a tyres chronological age is only one of many factors that affect its performance – excessive heat, under-inflation and overloading are all more crucial than age.

Mr Zielinski also argued that the bill is burdensome not only to tyre dealers, but to their customers who would have to take the time and trouble to sign a disclosure form that they know the chronological age of the tyres.

And the RMA also protested that by exempting auto dealers and private sales of vehicles, the bill puts tyre dealers at a considerable competitive disadvantage.

Mr Zielinski said that the exemptions in effect confirmed that chronological age is not a tyre hazard.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 30th, 2009 at 5:59 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.