COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS APPLICABLE TO MOTOR IN USE

THE RUBBER MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION, INC. RECOMMENDS A PROGRAM TO MAKE SURE THAT TIRES IN USE ON HIGHWAY VEHICLES ARE IN SAFE OPERATING CONDITION. FREQUENT TIRE INSPECTION IS THE MEANS OF ACHIEVING THIS OBJECTIVE. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE STATES ADOPT TIRE INSPECTION STANDARDS RECOMMENDED BY THE TIRE INDUSTRY AND DETAILED IN THE RMA TIRE INSPECTION GUIDE AS THE BASIS FOR USED VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS. THIS GUIDE RECOMMENDS THAT A PASSENGER CAR TIRE BE REMOVED FROM SERVICE WHEN THE TREAD DEPTH REACHES 2/32 OF AN INCH. TIRE INSPECTION SHOULD BE AUTHORIZED: (1) BY STATE LAW AND BE CONDUCTED ON A PERIODIC BASIS, PREFERABLY SEMI-ANNUALLY, AT STATE INSPECTION STATIONS, (2) BY LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES ON A SPOT-CHECK OR RANDOM BASIS AND (3) AS A PRE-CONDITION TO THE SALE OF ALL USED VEHICLES. STATUTES SHOULD BE INACTED IN THE STATES REQUIRING THAT TIRES BE IN A SAFE OPERATING CONDITION AT ALL TIMES. THE NECESSITY OF TIRE INSPECTION FOR SAFETY IS DEMONSTRATED BY THE FOLLOWING SUMMARY OF STATISTICAL INFORMATION GATHERED FROM SURVEYS CONDUCTED ON PASSENGER VEHICLES: (1) A TIRE DISABLEMENT STUDY CONDUCTED BY THE TRAFFIC INSTITUTE OF NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY SHOWED THAT ON THE ILLINOIS TOLLWAY, BALD TIRES ARE 44 TIMES AS LIKELY TO GO FLAT AS NEW TIRES, WHILE TIRES WITH LESS THAN 2/32 MINIMUM TREAD DEPTH ARE 18 TIMES AS LIKELY TO HAVE FLATS, (2) ANOTHER NORTHWESTERN STUDY ON TIRE USE AND CONDITION NOTED THAT TIRES ON 12% OF THE VEHICLES CHECKED FOR TREADWEAR AND OTHER DAMAGE HAD BELOW 2/32 TREAD DEPTH, AN ADDITIONAL 12% HAD OTHER VISABLE CONDITIONS WHICH WOULD BE CAUSE FOR REJECTION BY INSPECTION, (3) SURVEYS CONDUCTED FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT INDICATED A RANGE OF 5% TO 17% OF TIRES CHECKED HAD BELOW 2/32 TREAD DEPTH, (4) A STUDY CONDUCTED BY THE CORNELL AERONAUTICAL LABORATORY INDICATED THAT 10% OF THE TIRES ON CARS INVOLVED IN INJURY-PRODUCING ACCIDENTS WERE WORN TO AN UNSAFE CONDITION, (5) TIRE INDUSTRY RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT THE RISK OF SKIDDING, WHICH IS 5 TO 10 TIMES GREATER ON WET ROADS COMPARED WITH DRY ROADS FOR TIRES WITH GOOD TREAD DEPTH, IS DOUBLED WITH BALD TIRES, AND (6) A STUDY CONDUCTED BY THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL CONCLUDED THAT WHILE TIRES WERE INVOLVED IN LESS THAN 1% OF ALL ACCIDENTS, MORE THAN HALF OF THESE TIRES WERE WORN BELOW 2/32 TREAD DEPTH, THE MINIMUM REQUIRED FOR SAFE TIRE OPERATION, AND 22% OF THESE WERE BALD OR WORN TO THE CORDS.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Docket No 37, 16 PP, FIGS
• Corporate Authors:

  Rubber Manufacturers Association

  Washington, DC  United States 
• Publication Date: 1969-2-26

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash causes; Highway safety; Inspection; Motor vehicles; Skidding; Standards; Tire treads; Tires; Traffic crashes; Vehicle safety
• Old TRIS Terms: Vehicular safety
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00223377
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 2 1970 12:00AM