With October being Transport Month, a major major tyre manufacturer conducted a report after noticing the trend of second-hand tyres being sold to customers, looking for means to save money. While it is not illegal to purchase and fit second-hand tyres to your vehicle, customers tend to lack the knowledge and experience to identify the difference between a waste-tyre and a safe-to-use tyre. “The consequences of fitting second-hand waste tyres can be dire. They reduce the performance of a vehicle by increasing stopping distances, raising the risk of skidding and increasing the risk of blow-outs,” Darren Hayes-Powell, chairperson, South African Tyre Manufacturing Conference (SATMC).
The report revealed that more than 60 per cent of second tyres sold in South Africa is illegal. “This is a staggering statistic, one that has fatal consequences for road users, especially when you consider that the only part of the car touching the road is a piece of tyre tread the size of your hand. This Transport Month, October 2019, we are urging drivers to only purchase tyres, new or second-hand, from reputable dealerships,” Darren added.
Second-hand tyres are safe-to-use you when you see:
- Visible tread wear-indicators below tread across the whole tyre.
- No exposed fabric, cuts, lumps or bulges.
A second-hand tyre is NOT safe to use when you see:
- Tread depth across any part of the tyre that is below the level of the tread wear indicators.
- No tread wear indicator, due to carving the rubber on tyres to create more tread depth (regrooving).
- Damaged rubber that exposes fabric or cord.
- Cuts, lumps or bulges.
“The consequences of fitting second-hand waste tyres can be dire. They reduce the performance of a vehicle by increasing stopping distances, raising the risk of skidding and increasing the risk of blow-outs,” Darren added.
Another aspect consumers should consider when purchasing second-hand tyres is the impact on insurance payouts. In the event of an accident, the insurance claim could be refuted should investigators find that the tyres were in poor condition or even the cause of the crash, according to the Automobile Association (AA). “More concerning is the fact that we have even seen tyres that have been damaged beyond repair for safe service on the road but have been superglued so that the repair is not visible anymore. This will certainly be cause for a blow out on the road and potentially an accident. While the onus of labelling and destroying of second-hand waste tyres lies with retail tyre fitment centres, the catastrophic effects lie with drivers. If you have any doubt about the quality of a used-tyre, do not purchase it. It could save lives,” Hayes-Powell concludes.
“In support of SATMC’s concerns, we believe that education on the safety risks and consequences of buying second-hand waste tyres, sold into the market, is critical to consumer safety. More importantly, the onus lies with retail tyre fitment dealers to ensure that second-hand waste tyres are mutilated and destroyed and that once these have been assigned for waste pick up, they do not resurface in the market. Also, should consumers be considering purchasing second-hand tyres, they must only do so from reputable retail outlets and not from the side of the road,” Riaz Haffejee, CEO of Sumitomo Rubber South Africa.
