Bush administration calls for a regulatory review of TREAD Act

WASHINGTON (Feb. 15, 2002) — The senior official with the Bush administration’s Office of Management and Budget has called for a review of tire-pressure monitoring rules laid out in the Transportation Recall Enhancement Accountability Documentation (TREAD) Act.

John Graham, administrator of regulatory affairs for OMB, said the tire pressure rules are “too narrow” and could discourage the use of antilock braking systems. He wants a regulatory review, and has asked the U.S. National Highway Transportation Safety Adminstration to delay requirements for tire-pressure warning devices on all passenger cars, light trucks, sport utility vehicles, and vans sold in the U.S. after 2003. The act also applies to medium- and heavy-duty trucks and trailers.

Congress passed TREAD in November in the wake of a tire separation investigation involving Firestone and Ford. It would affect 16 million new vehicles in the United States each year and result in an estimated $1 billion US annual market for tire-monitoring systems.