TyreSafe and trading standards investigations into used tyres In this feature l safety-related defects l consumer safety l hearsay applications Worn out warning Recent trading standards and TyreSafe investigations into part-worn tyres have found some worrying results, says Stuart Jackson M ore than five million used tyres are sold each year to motorists in the UK from countless outlets, ranging from large warehouses to hand car washes. Typically, consumer complaints fall to trading standards departments, and recent investigations have found as many as 94 per cent of the tyres tested do not comply with current regulations, and 58 per cent have safety-related defects. Motorists depend on tyre dealers to supply and fit this safety-critical component in a It might be assumed that the sale of any used roadworthy and legal condition, but are and safety critical product would be highly instead being duped into buying a product regulated around the world but, in fact, the that could potentially be life-threatening, UK is one of the few countries with a clear set evenif sold legally. of guidelines for part-worn retailers. These are stipulated in regulation 7 of the Motor Vehicle Safety issues 94 per cent of the tyres tested do not comply with current regulations tyres (Safety) Regulations 1994 part of Despite clear guidelines in Motor Vehicle the Consumer protection act 1987 which Tyres (Safety) Regulations 1994, trading makes it an offence for anyone to sell part-worn standards officers have witnessed the regular tyres that do not meet the following principal presence of defects across the many test requirements: The structural integrity must not be purchases carried out. These range from compromised. It should be free of large substantial cuts in the tyre through to cuts, any bulges or lumps both internally dangerous puncture repairs, damaged and externally. No plies or cords should sidewalls and objects embedded in the tread. be exposed Even bubblegum has been found plugging a Tyres must have passed an inflation test prior hole, and one tyre had a nail still protruding to sale through it. The original grooves must still be clearly visible While such faults may seem obvious to in their entirety and must be to a depth of at any purchaser, the reality is that a substantial least 2mm across the full breadth of the tread, degree of expertise and knowledge is required around its entire circumference Part-worn tyres that have not been retreaded to identify many safety-related defects, must clearly show the relevant E mark, especially if a report is to be used as evidence alongside which PART WORN must be in court. TyreSafe offers this support and has permanently and legibly applied in partnered trading standards officers on many uppercase letters at least 4mm high. These occasions. words cannot be hot branded or cut into Investigations also highlight a worrying the tyre degree of poor practice and incompetence You might be surprised to learn that used among part-worn tyre retailers, which tyres can be sold with a puncture repair but, represents a significant risk to road safety. again, there is clear guidance they must Officers have found water left inside a tyre conform to the prevailing issue of British fitted to a wheel, incorrect tyre pressures and Standard BS au 159. even the wrong size of tyre fitted. It is not uncommon to find a winter tyre supplied, even though they should only be fitted at the specific request of a customer and as a complete set, not mixed with summer or all-season tyres. In two operations where tyres were fitted directly to the vehicle, all four used tyres supplied by the retailers were of the wrong specification and mixed tread patterns on the same axle, which is likely to have significant impact on cornering and braking. The most common cause of non-compliance is the most simple measure with which to comply, illustrating a worryingly low awareness of rules among part-worn retailers. The guidance states tyres being sold as used must be marked PART WORN (in upper case letters), yet most part-worn tyres rarely carry this mark. This casts severe doubt as to whether any critical safety checks are being carried out on the tyres before being offered for sale. taking action Investigations into consumer complaints often result in prosecution of part-worn retailers, with substantial fines being handed down and severe consequences for the businesses. In April 2015, Lincoln Crown Court found Luke McKenzie, the owner of Moss Tyres in Grantham, guilty on 16 counts of possessing and supplying dangerous products, one count of supplying an incorrectly sized spare tyre during a test purchase by Lincolnshire Trading Standards, and another of providing false information. McKenzie was given a nineOctober is tyre Safety Month, which encourages month suspended sentence and fined 26,000. motorists to check their tyres to ensure they are Subsequently, Lincolnshire TS conducted within legal tread depths, correctly inflated and another test purchase from Moss Tyres in not damaged June 2015, following complaints from local residents about the business, which had been taken over by another member of the McKenzie family. Leandra McKenzie sold the trading standards officer two illegal part-worn tyres which werent stamped correctly and one tyre with a deep cut through the tread. McKenzie was ordered to pay fines and costs of more than 8,000 when convicted in August 2016. Some trading standards departments have started to take a proactive approach to the problem. Brent and Harrow Council Trading Standards and TyreSafe have produced some positive results following a combination of guidance and prosecution. Its first operations in 2014 brought 10 prosecutions, while a more recent project in 2016 found general quality of expertise as well as products for sale Motorists are had improved, and only one trader was being duped into prosecuted. buying a product However, there is still much work to do. In that could 2014, TyreSafe conducted a survey that found potentially be 98 per cent of part-worn tyres offered for sale were non-compliant with current legislation, life-threatening with 34 per cent having defects impairing safety. Since then, TyreSafe investigations in 2016 and 2017 with trading standards teams in Lincolnshire, Brent and Harrow, Enfield, and Tower Hamlets produced equally concerning results, with just four of the 67 tyres inspected sold in compliance with legal regulations. This means 94 per cent were non-compliant, while 58 per cent had defects impairing safety. TyreSafe has ring-fenced budget to support trading standards investigations into part-worn operators and welcomes requests from offices nationally. Please get in touch via email or call 01787 226995. Credits Stuart Jackson is chairman of TyreSafe. Images: iStock / manley099 To share this page, in the toolbar click on There are severe doubts as to whether any critical safety checks are being carried out on the tyres You might also like Turning back the clocks May 2016