Skip to main content
Normal View

Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 9 Jun 1998

Vol. 492 No. 1

Written Answers. - Vehicle Testing.

Question:

172 Mr. Hayes asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he will outline the work of his Department concerning regulations to be introduced in 1999 in relation to vehicular testing; the proposed nature of the tyre test which will be part of the total examination of a car over four years old; the discussions, if any, he has had to date on the way in which the tyre test can be improved; the number of road accidents per year which can be attributed to poor quality tyres based on information from the National Road Authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13555/98]

Robert Molloy

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Molloy)

It is intended to bring car testing into operation as early as practicable next year. Regulations to be made under the Road Traffic Act, 1961 will provide the statutory basis for the scheme. Testing will be carried out at dedicated test centres under the control of a contractor to be appointed on a national basis following an EU-wide competitive tendering process. The tendering process is already under way and my Department will shortly issue detailed invitation to tender documentation to qualified applicants.

The invitation to tender documentation will incorporate a draft vehicle tester's manual which will set out the methods of testing and reasons for failure for all test items including tyres. My Department has undertaken consultation with a wide range of interested parties, including the Irish Tyre Industry Association, about the detailed parameters for the test. In specifying the test I will take account of the outcome of these consultations, subject to the requirements of the relevant EU directive.
Information from the National Roads Authority indicates that 237, or some 1.8 per cent of 13,568 vehicles involved in injury accidents reported to the Garda in 1997 had defective tyres. This date does not necesarily relate to the cause of the accidents.
Top
Share