Photo: pxhere.com

Northern Ireland to follow Great Britain in banning HGV tyres more than 10 years old

Northern Ireland is set to join Great Britain in banning the use of tyres aged more than 10 years on HGVs, coaches and minibuses.

You can read this article in 2 minutes

The move follows the results of a consultation run by Northern Ireland’s Department of Infrastructure that concluded late last year.

After considering the feedback from the responses through the consultation, the department has said it will proceed to ban tyres aged 10 years and older on the front axles of HGV’s, buses and coaches, and to the tyres on all axles of minibuses when fitted in single configuration.

The restriction will also apply to re-treaded tyres, where the date of re-treading will be used to determine the age of the tyre.

There will be no requirement for the date marking to be displayed in any orientation and hence no material costs, says the conclusion of the consultation.

However, there shall be an exemption for 2 groups of vehicles:

  • Those vehicles that are currently exempt from tyre roadworthiness regulations (including agricultural tractors that travel at low speeds) to remain consistent with existing legislation.
  • Historic vehicles that are currently exempt from roadworthiness testing, providing they are not used commercially. We recognise that historic vehicles are usually well-maintained, are used infrequently and do not travel at high speeds however it is important to balance the granting of any exemptions with the safety of all road users.

The regulations will apply to drivers or operators of non-compliant vehicles on NI roads, regardless of the country of registration.

The Department of Infrastructure will bring forward amending legislation to put the decisions set out in this document into effect, with an implementation period of 3 months.


Photo: pxhere.com