Advanced ID Applauds NHTSA’s Tyre Ageing Advice

RFID developer Advanced ID Corporation has published a statement supporting the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) recent Consumer Advisory on the dangers of aged tyres. On 2 June NHTSA kicked off the summer driving season with a warning to motorists to check their tyres – including the spare – for signs of wear, under-inflation and age. The season’s heat, especially in hot climates, can take its toll on worn, old or improperly inflated tyres leading to tread separations, crashes and rollovers, the advisory said.

“We believe that NHTSA’s consumer advisory on tire safety is going to have a significant effect on the rubber manufacturers – this is the first time the US government has taken a public position on the issue,” said Dan Finch, President and CEO of Advanced ID. “Our global partners around the world are poised to begin implementation of tire tags for its many benefits, including the means to identify tyres in case of failure. All the tyre tag tests being conducted in numerous markets around the world – from Asia to Europe to Latin America – have been concluded or are near conclusion and, hopefully, the US will follow suit quickly before failures result in loss of life.”

A recent investigation into the dangers of aged tyres by the ABC news magazine programme, 20/20, showed how easy it was to buy “new” tyres at a major retailer that had actually been constructed a decade ago. The report also underscored the inefficiencies and difficulties in managing the nation’s tyre inventory without RFID technology.

The tyre tag solution from Advanced ID is based on proprietary RFID tag readers developed by the company and RFID tag technology obtained through a third party license for a 915 MHz tyre tag for the transportation industry. Advanced ID provides both the tyre tag that is embedded in the tyre during the curing (manufacturing) process and also the tyre patch, which is cold-vulcanized on the tyre after manufacture or for replacement tyres already in the field. Both applications provide a life-of-tyre, unique ID which can be used for inventory purposes, tyre maintenance with the Company’s Pneu-Logic tyre inspection tools division, theft prevention, and as a resource in tyre recall situations.

The entire NHTSA statement on tyre safety is available online at www.nhtsa.dot.gov.