The Tire Industry Association (TIA) is continuing its proactive approach to improving safety for the motoring public by proposing to make improper tire repairs illegal.
TIA’s proposal to states seeking to pass tire repair legislation would extend the tire industry’s well-established best practices by making it illegal to:
1. plug a tire on the rim or install a patch on the inside without filling the void left by the object;
2. repair a puncture in the shoulder or an injury in the sidewall; and
3. repair a tire that has already been illegally repaired.
“Inherently dangerous practices like plugging the tire without inspecting the inside and installing a patch without filling the injury would become illegal and hopefully cease to exist," says TIA board member Ernie Caramanico.
"This would be an important step for the image of the tire industry and the safety of the motoring public, so it makes sense for TIA to promote good legislation that makes a positive impact without causing harm to anyone other than those who improperly repair tires.”
Caramanico also is president of Amityville Firestone in Amityville, N.Y., and president of the New York Tire Dealers Association.
TIA says it is "resolute on improving the safety of the motoring public with the goal of making a positive impact on tire safety without exposing the tire retailing industry to unnecessary liability. Legislating that improper repairs are illegal makes sense for the thousands of tire service providers and makes it that much more difficult for the minority to continue repairing tires outside the guidelines created by the industry."
TIA plans on introducing the model tire repair legislation in its home state of Maryland.
“By making improper repairs illegal, the thousands of tire retailers who follow industry recommended practices will finally have definitive answers to the questions about why a tire cannot be repaired," says Kevin Rohlwing, TIA's senior vice president of training. "They will refuse to install illegal repairs and advise their customers to be cautious when dealing with automotive service providers who are willing to illegally repair tires and endanger themselves and other motorists.”
In July, New York's Proper Tire Repair Act, S 7082, died when it was not voted upon before the New York State Legislature ended its 2012 session. TIA submitted a series of amendments to New York legislators in response to the legislation.
