The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) said drivers of motor vehicles must ensure that the used tyres they purchase comply with the requirements set out in the national standard in order to reduce accidents.
In a press release, the GNBS said drivers “should carefully and routinely request that dealers inflate and mount tyres to be purchased, so that they can be monitored for defects before they are installed on vehicles.” Drivers must also ensure that tyres are replaced if they are found to be “relatively” degraded and defective. The GNBS said drivers’ diligence during and after buying tyres would compel importers and dealers to supply better quality used tyres and reduce the probability of accidents owing to defective tyres.
It said too that drivers must ensure they buy the correct size of tyre “with a minimum tread depth of four millimetres”; tyres that are adequately labelled to indicate the brand name, size, designation, load range or maximum permissible load, or the DOT symbol or other markings indicating that the tyres were originally manufactured according to international requirements. Tyres must be free from exposed cords, radial or groove cracks, tread separation, broken, damaged, kinked or exposed bead wire, damaged bead area, sidewall separation and nail holes or other damages of sufficient sizes and numbers that cannot be repaired using acceptable commercial practices, the release said. “The tyre must be mounted on the approval type and size of rim as designated by the tyre manufacturer and after inflation, checks must be made for bending [bend tyre] and leaks,” it added.
Tyres must also be maintained to extend their life of use. Drivers can take steps such as ensuring that they are not overloaded and that the correct inflation pressure is maintained at all times and temporary patches (plugs) are replaced with permanent ones. They must also avoid using tyres on undesignated surfaces and ensure that vehicles are properly aligned to avoid uneven wear.
The release said too buyers of used tyres should do so from GNBS-registered dealers who can provide a warranty of at least three days after their first use. This is important in helping to ensure that there is some form of compensation available for used tyres which due to previous usage and poor quality, become easily defective when put into use.
