Rubber Manufacturers Association President & CEO Outlines Tire Industry's Actions to Advance Auto Safety

31 October 2000
Rubber Manufacturers Association President & CEO Outlines Tire Industry's Actions to Advance Auto Safety
    LAS VEGAS, Nev., Oct. 31 At a news conference at the
Specialty Equipment Market Association trade show in Las Vegas today, Rubber
Manufacturers Association president and CEO Donald B. Shea called recent
passage of legislation dealing with auto tires "good news," and discussed the
tire industry's future plans to further the cause of auto safety.
    "Change that supports safety wins our support," said Shea in discussing
the legislation.  Commenting on the act's contents, Shea noted that the
industry began petitioning the National Highway Transportation Safety
Administration (NHTSA) nearly two years ago to modernize tire safety
standards, which the bill now requires.  He also added that RMA and member
company engineers and experts are already working with NHTSA to increase and
improve the reporting of safety-related data to NHTSA, and to develop a
methodology for reporting safety problems or recalls that occur in foreign
countries.
    Shea also announced that RMA's three-decades-long consumer education
campaign on tire care will be significantly expanded.  The new program, to be
launched November 15 in Washington, D.C., "will be an aggressive and well-
funded effort to give drivers the tire care and maintenance information they
need and want."  New RMA research, he added, showed that drivers want to be
reminded of the responsibility to care for their tires, along with information
on how to carry out that care.
    Shea thanked the Tire Association of North America for providing RMA the
forum for the news conference.  He said he looked forward to working with tire
dealers to communicate tire safety information.  "Our country's tire dealers
are on the front line of driving safety.  We look forward to partnering with
them in our safety campaign."
    RMA is the primary national trade association for the finished rubber
products industry in the United States.  Comprising two divisions, the General
Products Group and the Tire Group, RMA's member companies contribute upwards
of $20 billion in finished rubber product shipments to the global economy.
RMA is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and is recognized as the leading
business advocate, resource and information clearinghouse for and about
today's diversified rubber industry.
    For more information, visit RMA's Web site at http://www.rma.org.