Motor Trade Wants Faster Track for Safety Regulation Changes

It has criticised the delays that have occurred in banning the import of winter (snow) tyres into New Zealand, including those tyres which are illegal in Japan but satisfy current minimum tread depth standards for Warrant of Fitness tests in this country.

MTA communications manager, Andy Cuming, said that the actual and potential safety hazards of this practice were well known to the NZ Police Serious Crash Unit and the transport safety authorities who had jointly conducted their own extensive track-testing both in New Zealand and Australia more than two years ago, in the aftermath of fatal accidents determined to have been the result of the mixing of snow tyres with regular tyres on the same vehicle.

These 2007 tests, also involving tyre industry specialists, proved conclusively the dangers of snow tyre fitment.

“By September 2007 it was clear that this whole matter was a ‘no-brainer’ and MTA then conducted its own extensive public awareness programme on these dangers, also sending a strong message to Government to immediately ban snow tyre imports, either separately in bulk container shipments, or fitted to used import vehicles brought into the country,” said Andy Cuming.

“The MTA programme was aimed at making drivers aware of the dangers, and also comprehensively alerting the motor trade to what was going on so their customers could be advised correctly.

“But the missing ingredient was prompt action on the regulation front to stop the practice in its tracks,” he said.

“The NZ Transport Agency is now indicating that it expects to have new regulations in place early 2010 that will effectively ban the import of used snow tyres out of Japan.

“In the context of what has been happening during the past two years, this is too late.”

On introduction, the new regulations will have been the result of the wide consultative and approval process used for all such regulatory changes, and will impose a four millimetre tread depth minimum on snow tyres fitted to vehicles in New Zealand, and prohibit the mixing of snow and regulation tyres on the one vehicle.

These regulations will be enforced via the Warrant of Fitness inspection process.

“This will minimise the real potential for car owners to unwittingly fitting wrong specification tyres. The total motor trade will then work to ensure the New Zealand vehicle fleet complies,” said Andy Cuming.

“We now call on Government to consider closely their experience in this particular case, and examine how the lead time for such a change can be reduced to a minimum, while retaining the industry consultation essential for what is always a joint implementation process.

“Government is well aware that MTA is consistently a committed and supportive partner in effectively aligning industry practice with such changes,” he said.