With another tough year behind us the ITIA are working hard for our members with strong focus on improving standards and the long term aim of getting our industry licensed. Alan Nolan from the SIMI spoke recently at our Annual Dinner and gave us some encouraging words on the improvement and growth they are experiencing in the motor trade, which we can hope will filter down the line to tyre outlets.
An issue for the industry this year is the new REACH regulations which will regulate the level of PAH’s in tyres on sale here. The ITIA are very active on this issue and have met with the HSA to gain clarity for our members. We gave a briefing on PAH certification at our AGM and have been in direct contact with all our importers. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any concerns as to your obligation to provide certification on imported tyres.
Through our membership we are constantly being updated about the worrying increase in the trade of second hand tyres. Outlets are opening up along roadsides and in back yards by people with no experience or training in the industry. Second hand tyres are being imported and re-circulated from Irish waste in huge numbers. From a safety point these tyres have no recorded history and are allowed onto the market untested. This presents a huge hazard for road users. A second hand tyre may have been taken from a crashed car or have internal damage not visible to the naked eye. You wouldn’t put second hand brakes on your car, yet people are putting theirs and their family’s lives at risk by using tyres of unknown quality and integrity. With everyone feeling stretched with the economic climate it is important that we educate the consumer against decisions which they would ordinarily not even entertain, but which could cost them dearly if they were involved in a collision.
The ITIA are in discussion with the RSA to alert them on this issue and the fact that these potentially dangerous tyres are being fitted by inexperienced and untrained personnel. Training is an area we feel will vastly help to improve road safety. The ITIA have a new training programme for fitters with our next Training, which is to train in puncture repair, scheduled to take place in April. Tyre repair is often carried out quickly and cheaply which can jeopardise road safety. When a tyre is punctured there are two holes to fix, using plugs or quick ‘one fix’ repairs is not safe and does not work. If both holes are not correctly fixed, dirt and debris can get into the tyre and could result in a tyre blow out.
Our aim is to have tyre outlet employees accredited to fit, balance, repair tyres and make them fully aware of industry best practise. This will in time make roads safer for us all to drive on and will make a tangible distinction between reputable outlets and the cowboy operations that are springing up in every town and village in the country. This will enable the road user to choose the safer option of choosing an outlet using the safest and most up to date technology, fitter by people trained to do the job properly. After all their tyres are their only contact with the road and having them fitted and checked by professionals, will help them hold the road better and stop when they need to.
Regional meetings were a huge success last year and we will be starting again in May with our first Dublin meeting, which we will follow up with meetings around the country. Feedback from our members is what makes the Association strong, so please do contact us if there are any issues you need advise on or feel we should highlight to the membership, you can call 086 773 96 66 or email info@itia.ie.
Contact us here
