Malaysia’s Ministry of Transport (MOT) is assessing new methods to identify illegally retreaded tyres in the market, including security stamping, quick response (QR) codes and radio frequency identification (RFID) tags.
Action Proposed on Retreads
Deputy Transport Minister Hasbi Habibollah said the initiative, developed with the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), aims to ensure only retreads that meet mandatory safety standards are permitted for use on heavy vehicles on public roads.
Citing MIROS findings, Hasbi noted that the principal contributors to road accidents in Malaysia are driver negligence and road user behaviour at 80.6 per cent, road conditions at 13.2 per cent and vehicle condition at 6.2 per cent. “There is a trend of increasing accidents involving heavy vehicles due to tyre or drivetrain failure. This also leads to tyre debris on the road, which poses risks to other users,” he said at a Special Chamber session in the Dewan Rakyat.
However, Hasbi stressed that the study showed only a small proportion of incidents were caused by retread failures, with most linked to new pneumatic tyres and to mechanical failures of the heavy vehicle itself.
Responding to a question from Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah Wee Tse on steps to curb accidents allegedly caused by retreaded tyres, Hasbi said the safety of retreads must be viewed in a wider context. This includes production, importation, sale, use, maintenance and enforcement, and involves multiple agencies and ministries.
To strengthen oversight of both new and legally retreaded tyres, Hasbi outlined five measures already in place. These include gazetting United Nations regulations and Malaysian Standards within motor vehicle rules, enforcing inspections at the Computerised Vehicle Inspection Centre (Puspakom) and tightening import controls in collaboration with the Royal Malaysian Customs Department and the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living.
MOT is also encouraging transport companies to adopt standard operating procedures for pre-trip tyre inspections to ensure tyre condition and safety, alongside ongoing public education and service announcements on tyre care.
“MOT is committed to ensuring that every tyre, whether new or retreaded, used in Malaysia complies with prescribed safety and quality standards,” Hasbi added. “A holistic approach involving legislation, enforcement, import control, product labelling and consumer education will continue to be strengthened to enhance road safety and reduce the risk of accidents caused by tyre failure.”
Source: Bernama
This article was originally published in Retreading Business.
