Texas part worn tyre bill vetoed

An anti part worn tyre bill that was passed in May has been vetoed by state governor Greg Abbot. Texas House Bill 2774 was based on the draft legislation advocated by the US Tire Manufacturers Association. It would have levied fines of $100 to $500 for each tyre deemed unsafe.

Criteria for the proposed “unsafe” status included: A tread depth of less than 1/16 inch; A localized bald spot that exposes the tyre ply or cord; Regrooving below the original groove depth; Evidence of a temporary repair; Bumps, bulges or knots indicating tread separation; or worn tread indicators that contact the road in any two adjacent major grooves in the centre of the tyre.

In his June 15 veto message, Abbott said he opposed the bill’s creation on the basis that the state didn’t need a new crime: “Texas does not need to impose new criminal penalties on people who put tyres on cars”, he said, adding:

“For the past two sessions, the legislature has passed several laws aimed at limiting the reach of criminal penalties and reducing the burden of criminal records…This bill goes in the opposite direction. Nobody wants bad tyres on the road, but creating a new crime is not the answer to every problem.”

Texas Rep. Armando L. Walle, D-Houston, condemned the governor’s veto in a June 15 statement: “Two years of diligent work by a stakeholder group consisting of everyone who handles tyres from cradle to grave to craft a balanced bill were cast aside in a veto statement that suggested the governor did not understand or refused to understand tyre disposal and how it is currently regulated”.