NRSC says will engage stakeholders before banning used tyres
The National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) would consult with stakeholders before enforcing the ban on substandard tyres in September this year.
The two months engagements would address differences with stakeholders, including importers of vehicle tyres, and explain the need for the ban, a press release signed by Mr Kwame Koduah Atuahene, Head of Communications of the Commission and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Monday said.
The release said the stakeholder engagements would enable the Commission to explain provisions in Regulation 62 of the new Road Traffic Regulation, 2012, L.I.2180 to them.
The new road traffic regulation provides that vehicles be fitted with pneumatic tyres manufactured for use in hot and normal weather conditions labeled A or B and not “C”, meant for cold areas.
It also states that, vehicle tyres should have minimum thread depth of not less than 1.6 millimeters for all categories of road users and that, tyres of more than four years old counting from the date of manufacture should not be fitted on vehicles.
The release said an earlier media publication on the subject was directed at substandard vehicle tyres and not used tyres.
It explained that, “a substandard tyre is not a question of their description as new or used but rather their compliance with the specific requirements provided by Regulation 62 of the Road Traffic Regulation.”
The release said a research conducted by the Commission showed that in Ghana, 15.2 per cent of vehicles involved in fatal crashes had some form of defect prior to the crash while about 4.4 per cent of crashes were caused by tyre burst.
“The Commission, consistent with its coordinating mandate, was working with the Ghana Standards Authority(GSA), Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority and the Driver and vehicle Licensing Authority(DVLA) to ensure compliance with these standards by banning the importation of substandard tyres of whatever description new or used,” it stated.
Source: GNA