Ministry cracks down on shops storing used tires

Inspection teams at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry have recently raided a number of warehouses and shops for storing expired and damaged tires.
More than 5,000 used tires were seized and destroyed, stores closed and their owners called in for investigation.
The crackdown, jointly conducted by the Ministry’s inspection teams and security men, came on a number of warehouses and shops selling used tires at the Al-Gurabi district in the south of Riyadh.
The establishments were reportedly not observing proper storage standards and intend to market used and expired tires, which constituted fraud.
The Ministry of Commerce warned against selling used or body-stored tires, which will adversely affect their quality or practicability and run counter to the commercial anti-fraud system.
The Ministry said it will spell out strict penalties on violators and confiscate tires which are not being produced to specification and standards.
Meanwhile, an expert in car tires told Arab News that risks are looming due to aged tires, adding that tires older than six years, whether still on a vehicle or just bought in a store, might easily explode at highway speeds.
“You will not see the failure coming, as this is taking place inside the tire, and with today’s rubber, there may not be any visible signs a failure is happening until a fatal accident occurs.”
“Even worse, well-known stores frequently have old tires on shelves being sold as new because they have no expiration dates. Tires should have expiration dates,” he said.