Dubai: A new rule will soon be in place so that retailers will be responsible in fitting the required standard of tyres on vehicles.
The Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology is expected to implement the rule by September this year, according to Kevin Jones, Managing Director, Al Futtaim auto centres.
Speaking at the sidelines of Traffic Police’s awareness campaign towards safe tyres, Jones said: “It will be aimed at retail stores to protect consumers. The regulations will include how long the tyres can be stored for, how long they can be used as well as using temperature ratings properly. These standards will then be reinforced at the time of renewing your car registration.”
Major General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, Director of Dubai Police’s Traffic Department, who launched the summer traffic campaign, explained that it will run until August 20 and there will be free tyre inspections at Emarat petrol stations at two branches — the last one on Shaikh Zayed Road before reaching Abu Dhabi and at the Hatta border.
“If people drive more than 1,000 or 2,000 kilometres, sooner or later you have to check your tyres, because when they are kept in good condition, their lives will be saved,” he said.
Maj Gen Al Zafein also added that up to ,3000 heavy trucks and lorries are fined every month for having technical problems, including worn out tyres. The number of road deaths in Dubai saw a significant drop this year compared to last year, with only 10 people dying in June compared to 14 in June 2011.
“We had no accidents caused by tyre bursting this year, and even in the few cases where a tyre bursts in an accident, there is no way to be sure whether the bursting was the cause of the accident or caused by the accident, if the car hits a barrier, for example,” Maj Gen Al Zafein said.
