Conti UK: EU Labelling Scheme May Compromise Safety

Continental Tyre in the UK has added its voice to comments made by executive board chairman Manfred Wennemer in mid-November regarding EU plans to introduce an environmental labelling scheme for tyres. The scheme, which forms part of the EU’s drive to reduce CO2 emissions and noise pollution from road traffic, aims to identify those tyres considered to be most energy-efficient and label them appropriately. The most efficient tyres would be classed as those with a particularly low ‘rolling resistance’.

However, Peter Robb from Continental Tyre Group UK comments that “Quite simply a low rolling resistance tyre isn’t necessarily a safe tyre and we want to make sure manufacturers do not think they can get away with supplying tyres deemed to be energy efficient, yet which pose a potential safety threat to motorists.” Conti believes that tyres that focus only upon low rolling resistance would be significantly worse at braking on wet roads.

“We believe that braking properties should be part of the assessment and classified with a corresponding label,” Robb adds. “Good tyres must combine low rolling resistance and good braking properties. Anything else would be a clear step backwards in terms of road safety, which would not only affect car drivers, but also pedestrians – particularly children – and cyclists.

“Stricter, clearer labelling that classifies grip on wet surfaces must also be introduced. The current ECE 117 regulation requires a braking distance on wet surfaces which can only be viewed as a minimum requirement. New, really clear labelling would have the advantage that car drivers would then really have a choice. At the same time, it would warn against fitting tyres with poor driving properties. Such labelling would be our minimum requirement in terms of consumer information.”