Ariz. gov. signs used-tire bill

PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has signed a bill that sharpens the definition of waste tires in an effort to prevent their being sold as used tires, but which does not propose penalties for used tire sellers that mount unsafe tires on vehicles.

Signed April 26, Arizona House Bill 2399 amends the Arizona Revised Statues, Section 44-1301, relating to waste tire disposal, by defining a waste tire as a "motor vehicle tire that is no longer suitable for its original intended purpose because of wear, damage, improper repair or manufacturer's recall."

The revised language also spells out what constitutes "damage" and "improper repair" as:

• Any tire with visible damage such as cracking, bubbling, cutting, chunking or separation of the tire sidewall or tread;

• Any tire with exposed body plies or belt material, or any visible deterioration of the tire bead or inner liner;

• Any tire with a puncture repair of more than ¼ inch, or a puncture repair on a tire sidewall, shoulder or belt edge area; or

• Any tire with a puncture repair that is not both sealed and patched on the inside and repaired with a cured rubber stem through to the outside.

The author of HB 2399 was Myles P. Hassett, a Phoenix attorney who became interested in tire safety after two friends, father and daughter, died in a tire-related auto accident in 2010.

Mr. Hassett quoted figures from a 2014 report from the National Transportation Safety Board that more than 500 people die and 19,000 are injured every year in vehicle accidents involving tire failure.

"Arizona is Ground Zero for tire failure in the U.S. — a fact that is well-known to the tire industry, but not the public," he said.

Besides advocating for HB 2399, Mr. Hassett founded the National Tire Safety Institute (NTSI), a non-profit organization devoted to tire safety education and advocacy, in 2016.

"Our goal is to educate the public about tire safety and advocate to make Arizona roads safer for everyone," he said.

HB 2399 is not identical to the used-tire repair bill advocated by the Rubber Manufacturers Association, but it has many similarities. Mr. Hassett said he had "a healthy dialogue" with RMA officials during the legislative process, and that the association expressed a willingness to work with him on future legislation.

While HB 2399 defines a waste tire, it does not propose penalties for used tire sellers that mount unsafe tires on vehicles, according to Daniel Zielinski, RMA senior vice president for public affairs.

"The Arizona legislature didn't want to create any more regulations," Mr. Zielinski said. But he agreed with Mr. Hassett that the bill's language creates strong definitions to guard against the improper disposal of waste tires.

"If I were a used tire dealer in Arizona, I would take this bill as sound guidance," Mr. Zielinski said.

Waste tire collection in Arizona is under the auspices of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ).