News You Can Use

RTA NEWS YOU CAN USE
July 18, 2013

THIS MEMO IS BEING SENT TO ALL RTA MEMBERS AND SELECTED OTHERS
WHO MAY HAVE AN INTEREST IN HOW RTA HANDLES CERTAIN INCOMING EMAILS

The following email was received today. Our reply is shown immediately below Mr. Bonez's email. If you would like a copy of the NHTSA PDF referenced in our reply, please send an email to info@retreadtire.org and we will send one by return email.

From: Mike Bonez <mikebonez2one6@gmail.com>
Date: Thursday, July 18, 2013 11:28 AM
To: Harvey Brodsky <harvey@retreadtire.org>
Subject: FLA retread laws

Hello,

I wanted to get more info on the laws involving hitting retreaded tires on a highway. One caused a lot of damage to my car and I wanted to see if my state will pay for the cost of repairs (FLA) before I check with my insurance company.

 Any help on pointing me in the right direction for help with this is much appreciated. Thanks.?     

Mike Bonez

RTA REPLIED

Dear Mike Bonez,

Thank you for your email regarding the problem you had when your car hit a piece of tire debris on the highway. You may not like what we state below, but facts are facts.

* Much of the tire debris on our highways in Florida or any other state comes from tires that have NEVER been retreaded. The attached PDF of a study conducted on behalf of the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) will confirm my statement. Please refer to Page 188 and then see paragraph 10.4  Overall Study Conclusions for more information.

* Tires, especially truck tires , fail and come apart because of improper tire maintenance with underinflation being the main culprit, followed closely by overinflation, mismatching of tires on dual wheel positions, improper tire repairs, misaligned vehicles and tires being driven with less than the legal amount of tread remaining. And it does not matter whether the tire is a retread or one that has never been in a retread factory. 

* Millions of retreaded tires are safely used all over America and in all other countries worldwide. School buses and municipal buses safely use retreads as well as commercial and military airlines, fire engines and other emergency vehicles, taxis, race cars, small package delivery services such as FED EX, UPS and even the U.S. Postal Service. There is a Federal Executive Order (13149 MANDATING the use of retreaded tires on selected federal fleet vehicles.

* To blame a retread for a tire failure and tire debris on our highways is the same as blaming a vehicle for an accident caused by a drunk driver. The blame is simply misplaced.

* Since my guess is that you are not certain if the tire you hit was even a retread, there is really nothing we can do to help you. Also, we are not aware of any laws in Florida - or anywhere else for that matter - that would help compensate for damage caused by tire debris or any other object on our highways.

My hope is that you will accept this email in the spirit in which it is being written, which is to help you understand our position and to understand more about the economic and environmental benefits offered by retreaded tires.

Finally, if you are interested we will be happy to send you one of our information packets including a DVD of a retread tire factory tour. To take us up n our offer, please send us your complete mailing address. If you are interested we can also arrange for you to visit a retread factory for a first hand look at the amount of care that goes into the retread process.

Sincerely,

Harvey Brodsky
Managing Director
Retread Tire Association/RTA

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Persistance

Breaks

Resistance

(Mrs. Baldwn, My 12th grade teacher, Overbrook High School)