Dubai: Car tyres will have special tags alerting motorists about their safety and specifications, an official has told Gulf News.

He said that some tyres are genuine but not meant for the UAE market – and their use can be dangerous. The move comes to ensure safety of motorists and to reduce accidents.

Tyres in the UAE must be able to withstand especially high temperatures because of the country’s extremely hot climate. Tyres meant for colder regions are liable to wear out faster or burst, endangering lives.

Substandard or inappropriate tyre use has caused a number of fatal road crashes in the UAE and elsewhere, with authorities repeatedly warning against the practice.

Many customers, however, are not aware of the appropriate specifications and cannot understand the coded inscriptions on tyres. Also, some motorists willingly buy unregulated cheaper varieties to save money.

The mandatory tag system will be rolled out by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (Esma) at a later stage, expected to begin in 2015.

“This will solve two things: Protect the consumer from parallel imports not designed for our region and protect traders because wrong use ruins the reputation of the trader or brand,” said Jasem Al Ali, an engineer who is head of the conformity section at Esma.

“Many parallel importers dump tyres meant for other regions into the local market to make money. That’s not ethical or safe for the consumer.”

The tags will be readable by smartphones and confirm if the tyre is compliant with UAE specifications and registered with Esma, besides carrying basic information such as its manufacturer, vehicle type, country of origin, date of production, weight, pressure and speed range.

Using QR (Quick Response) code readers on their phones, customers will instantly know if the tyre meets UAE standards and which vehicle type it is meant for.

There will also be an RFID chip that will be read by inspectors using hand-held devices. The information in the chip will also be held in a central database.

Feedback from traders has been positive, the compliance chief said. “They are willing to follow through, it’s good for them and for the consumer.”

Esma already has a smart app that allows motorists to understand the meaning of engravings on tyres. It shows a sample tyre with the typical engravings, which can be tapped for more information and explanation.