You guys should take a look at my other penny stock SMTR. The FDA are taking strides to help DNAP but the government is about to slam auto dealers with mandatory Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems... check out this news release:
US to Order Tire Pressure Monitors on New Vehicles
Wed Apr 6, 2005 05:33 PM ET
By John Crawley
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators are set to make automakers equip all lightweight passenger vehicles with tire pressure monitors, concluding a fight over what technology to adopt that would keep costs down.
The regulation, due as early as Thursday, covers all cars and light trucks, including vans and sport utility vehicles. It is central to congressionally ordered safety changes stemming from the Firestone tire debacle several years ago.
Accidents caused by blowouts and tread separations killed nearly 300 people in the United States. Most of the rollover crashes involved Ford Explorer sport utilities. Firestone is a unit of Japan's Bridgestone Corp.
After legal and other delays, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will require auto companies to install sensors that measure pressure simultaneously on all four tires.
Industry sources say the requirement is mainly consistent with an agency proposal last September and a court ruling that rejected the government's first plan and ordered it to draft a tougher monitoring standard.
A spokeswoman for the auto safety agency would not comment on the regulation, which was in the works for years and will set a broad threshold for inflation pressure.
If tires are under-inflated by more than 25 percent, a dashboard light will warn motorists. But tire makers and some safety groups oppose a single alert level because tires vary in size and thickness.
A 25 percent drop in recommended pressure may leave some tires so under-inflated that they cannot safely carry a fully loaded vehicle, manufacturers say.
Under-inflation can expose rubber and other materials to more heat -- especially during hot weather -- and create dangerous wear at the edges and sides of a tire.
The government estimates the plan will cost industry between $800 million and $1.1 billion to phase in the technology on all new vehicles from this year through 2007.
Auto manufacturers do not oppose the requirement, which will apply to new vehicles. Properly inflated tires can help create a smoother ride, improve fuel efficiency, and reduce expensive tire maintenance and replacements.
Tire monitoring systems are already installed on between 2 million and 4 million vehicles, mainly luxury vehicles. Most pressure monitoring systems use sensors that are tied into anti-lock brakes.
In 2002, NHTSA proposed giving automakers the option of a direct monitoring system, which safety groups favor, and one that works with brakes, which is cheaper. But safety advocates successfully sued in federal court to force regulators to adopt the more stringent standard with a 25 percent pressure differential.
Nearly 20 percent of all towing calls received by AAA last year were tire related.
