The imposition of provisional higher excise duties on tyres imported to South Africa from China is a major blow to road safety in the country and should be reversed immediately, says the Automobile Association .
The increase in excise duties comes after the South African Tyre Manufacturers Conference argued to the International Trade Administration Commission that tyres were being imported to South Africa at “unfairly low prices”. This, SATMC said, is damaging the local tyre manufacturing industry. “Increased fuel prices have seen food prices climb and resulted in higher private and public transport costs. Those with private transport will now have to pay more for tyres – essential safety equipment on vehicles – something we don’t believe will happen.
Human error, environmental conditions , and vehicle factors such as bursting or smooth tyres, poor brakes, and faulty headlights contributed to these deaths. Bursting and smooth tyres contributed to 49% of deaths in this category, by far the biggest element in terms of vehicle factors causing road deaths.