SENIOR ASSEMBLY FEDERAL PROPOSAL NO. 4
INTRODUCED BY SENIOR ASSEMBLY MEMBER HARTMANN
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST
AFP 4: REQUIRED TIRE SAFETY INFORMATION.
EXISTING FEDERAL LAW REQUIRES, AMONG OTHER MATTERS, THAT A TIRE MANUFACTURED FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE OF 10,000 POUNDS OR LESS, BE LABELED WITH ITS COMPLETE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IDENTIFICATION NUMBER, INCLUDING THE WEEK AND YEAR OF ITS MANUFACTURE, ON ONLY ONE SIDE OF THE TIRE.
THIS MEASURE WOULD MEMORIALIZE THE CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT TO ENACT LEGISLATION THAT WOULD REQUIRE A TIRE MANUFACTURER TO LABEL A TIRE WITH ITS COMPLETE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IDENTIFICATION NUMBER ON BOTH SIDES AND TO INCLUDE THE MONTH, RATHER THAN THE WEEK, AND YEAR OF ITS MANUFACTURE AND THAT WOULD REQUIRE A RETAILER TO INCLUDE THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IDENTIFICATION NUMBER ON THE SALES RECEIPT FOR ALL TIRES SOLD BY THE RETAILER.
VOTE: MAJORITY.
AFP 4: RELATING TO TIRE SAFETY INFORMATION
WHEREAS, CURRENT FEDERAL LAW REQUIRES TIRES TO BE LABELED WITH THE COMPLETE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IDENTIFICATION NUMBER, INCLUDING THE WEEK AND YEAR OF THE TIRE’S MANUFACTURE, ON ONLY ONE SIDE OF THE TIRE; AND
WHEREAS, SOMETIMES, THE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER IS PRINTED ON THE SIDE OF THE TIRE THAT IS ON THE INSIDE OF THE WHEEL, MAKING IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCESS THE INFORMATION; AND
WHEREAS, EXPERTS IN TIRE MANUFACTURING VARY WIDELY IN THE RECOMMENDED YEARS OF TIRE USAGE, OPINING THAT THE SAFE USAGE OF TIRES RANGES FROM A PERIOD AS SHORT AS FOUR YEARS TO AS MANY AS 10 YEARS FROM THE DATE OF MANUFACTURE; AND
WHEREAS, CONSUMERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW THE AGE OF THE TIRE BEING PURCHASED; AND
WHEREAS, BECAUSE SENIORS, ON THE AVERAGE, TEND TO DRIVE LESS THAN OTHER AGE GROUPS, THE TIRES ON THEIR VEHICLES, WHILE APPEARING TO BE NEW, MAY BE DANGEROUSLY BEYOND THE PERIOD FOR SAFE USAGE; AND
WHEREAS, BECAUSE FULL SERVICE GAS STATIONS ARE BEING REPLACED BY SELF-SERVICE GAS STATIONS, SENIORS NEED TO BE MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THE STATUS OF THE TIRES ON THEIR VEHICLES; AND
WHEREAS, BECAUSE SENIORS’ EYESIGHT AND THEIR ABILITY TO CRAWL UNDER CARS ARE LIMITED, IT IS DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO FIND OUT THE AGE OF THEIR TIRES FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IDENTIFICATION NUMBER; AND
WHEREAS, THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IDENTIFICATION NUMBER SHOULD BE PRINTED ON BOTH SIDES OF THE TIRE, AND THE DATE OF MANUFACTURE SHOULD BE LISTED ON THE SALES RECEIPT FOR THE TIRE BY THE RETAILER SIMPLY LISTING THE SIX DIGIT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IDENTIFICATION NUMBER ON THE SALES RECEIPT, THE FIRST TWO NUMBERS BEING THE TIRE IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS, AND THE NEXT FOUR NUMBERS BEING THE MONTH AND YEAR OF MANUFACTURE; AND
WHEREAS, ALL EXPERTS AGREE THAT KNOWING THE DATE OF MANUFACTURE OF A TIRE IS IMPORTANT FOR SAFETY REASONS; AND
WHEREAS, THE MONTH AND YEAR OF MANUFACTURE,RATHER THAN THE WEEK, WOULD ADEQUATELY NOTIFY THE CONSUMER OF THE TIRE’S AGE; AND
WHEREAS, IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THE COST TO MANUFACTURERS OF PROVIDING THIS INFORMATION ON BOTH SIDES OF THE TIRES WOULD ONLY ADD ONE CENT TO THE MANUFACTURING COSTS OF A TIRE, SO THAT THE MONETARY IMPACT WOULD BE NEGLIGIBLE TO THE TIRE MANUFACTURERS AND CONSUMERS; AND
WHEREAS, HAVING THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IDENTIFICATION NUMBER ON THE SALES RECEIPT WOULD MAKE CHECKING THE MANUFACTURER AND THE AGE OF A TIRE A SIMPLE TASK, THIS INFORMATION ALSO BEING USEFUL WHEN A MANUFACTURER ANNOUNCES A TIRE RECALL; AND
WHEREAS, BECAUSE HUNDREDS DIE EACH YEAR DUE TO UNDER-INFLATED TIRE FAILURE AND DEGRADED, ROTTEN TIRES, THIS INFORMATION IS ESSENTIAL TO CONSUMERS, AND IT IS ONLY A LOGICAL CONCLUSION THAT CONSUMERS, ESPECIALLY SENIORS, SHOULD BE ABLE TO READ THE INFORMATION WITHOUT USING A FLASHLIGHT AND CRAWLING UNDER THEIR CARS; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT
RESOLVED, BY THE SENIOR ASSEMBLY AND THE SENIOR SENATE, JOINTLY, THAT THE SENIOR LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA AT ITS 2006 REGULAR SESSION, A MAJORITY OF THE MEMBERS VOTING THEREFOR, HEREBY PROPOSES THAT IT BE MANDATED THAT ALL TIRES OF MOTOR VEHICLES OF 10,000 POUNDS OR LESS BE REQUIRED TO LIST THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IDENTIFICATION NUMBER, SHOWING THE MONTH AND YEAR OF MANUFACTURE, ON BOTH SIDES OF THE TIRE AND THAT RETAILERS SHOULD LIST THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IDENTIFICATION NUMBER ON A CUSTOMER’S SALES RECEIPT; AND BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED, THAT THE SENIOR LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA RESPECTFULLY MEMORIALIZES THE CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT TO ENACT APPROPRIATE LEGISLATION THAT WOULD ADDRESS THE CONCERNS SET FORTH IN THIS MEASURE; AND BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED, THAT A COPY OF THIS MEASURE BE TRANSMITTED TO THE PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT, THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THE CHAIRPERSONS OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE COMMITTEES ON AGING, AND TO EACH SENATOR AND REPRESENTATIVE FROM CALIFORNIA IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES.
RN20061903207
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