California has a reputation of being a little bit of a police state when it comes to automobiles. I understand that there is a large dense population that lawmakers have to protect and that California needs to address issues differently than other states do because of this. Yet I don’t really understand the need for a law that requires automotive repair/service facilities to check tire pressure when servicing a vehicle. Below is clip of SEMAN SAN update:
“All California automobile service providers are required to check tire pressures for every vehicle being maintained or repaired at their facility as of September 2010. The law applies to auto maintenance/repair providers but not to auto parts distributors/retailers, auto body/paint facilities, auto glass installers or wreckers/dismantlers.
Recently, the California legislature unanimously passed a bill, which is expected to be signed into law to clarify that tire pressure gauges used for these purposes must be accurate within 2 psi. The legislation also allows the service provider to refuse to check the pressure if the tire is “unsafe” (i.e. excessive tread wear) or damaged (i.e. crack, bulge or ply separation).
Under the law, service providers are required to inflate the tires to the recommended tire pressure rating. The provider must note on the invoice that the tire inflation service was completed and then keep a copy of the service invoice for at least three years. The customer may decline the check if the customer affirms that a check had already been done within the last 30 days, or they will have it checked within the next seven days. The rule applies to all vehicles weighing less than 10,000 lbs.”
Can someone please tell me why this is a law? Manufacturers started putting variations of TPMS in cars as early as ‘86 (Porsche 959) and Uncle Sam mandated it to be installed in cars by Sept 07, with most manufacturers installing them as early as ‘05. I understand that the average age of cars on the road in the US is 10 years old (RL Polk March 2010) so in theory this law would become less effective as early as 2012 for owners of some European and Japanese Luxury Cars and for the rest of the state as late as 2017.
I also like the big loop hole that was put into this law clarification for the consumer giving them the alternative to not have the service done if it was “already performed in the last 30 days or will be performed in the next 7 days” Talk about a pointless law, every customer could come in and decline the service if they wanted and say they had or were going to get said service done to their car.
The real basis to the law in my opinion is for lawsuits. All this law is designed to do is protect or persecute the driver of a car in an accident if the tire pressure is deemed to be an important factor in the incidents involving the crash. If by chance the driver of the car had declined service of the tire pressure, then got into an accident, lawyers could go dig it up and bring it into court. Same to be said if the driver did accept the tire pressure service.
So another law is in the books in California, that I am sure costs state taxpayer money to regulate (inspections, reports, etc) and I really don’t see a benefit to in the long run other than for court proceedings. Hopefully Illinois will not jump into the same boat just because California did.
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