Goodyear dealers nationwide have pledged to fully support the recent move the Road Safety Department, or Jabatan Keselamatan Jalan Raya (JKJR) and the Ministry of Transport to ban the selling of bald and regrooved tires in an effort to improve road safety levels in Malaysia.
According to JKJR Director General Datuk Suret Singh, regrooved tires – which are produced by carving new treads into a worn tire to create more tread depth – together with bald tires account for some 15 percent of road accidents nationwide.
“Today, these dedicated Goodyear dealers pledge to support JKJR in ensuring that such tires are not sold, stocked or displayed in their premises. In addition, posters, banners and brochures will be placed in their outlets to further educate consumers and increase awareness about how detrimental, to road safety, using these tires could be,” he said.
“The Goodyear dealers are proud to be part of this strategic partnership with JKJR. Together we take Malaysia another step forward towards resolving an ongoing issue that jeopardises the lives of drivers, passengers, and everyone else on the road,” said Maziun bin Hamid, owner of KBE Enterprise and representative of the Goodyear Bumiputra Dealers Association.
Datuk Suret Singh reminded motorists that using such tires could cause cars to skid or lose control. “It is extremely dangerous to use these types of tires,” he cautioned. “Take two minutes to check the condition of your tires before embarking on your journey.”
A simple way to do this is to conduct a 20-sen tire test by inserting a coin in the groove of a tire to check the depth of the tread. If the word “sen” is clearly visible, then the tire is considered bald and motorists are advised to change the tires immediately.
Alternatively, motorists can stop at any Goodyear Autocare or Servitekar outlet for a free 10-point check, which includes an overall inspection of a car’s tire pressure and wear, power steering fluid, air filter, spark plugs, engine oil, transmission fluid, radiator coolant, brake pads and fluid, battery terminal connection and water, as well as fan and air-conditioning belts.
“Such safety precautions will be especially important during festive seasons, such as the upcoming Chinese New Year,” said Maziun.
