Vulcanizers have sent words of admonishment to drivers to endeavour to buy and use standard tyres for their vehicles so that road accidents can reduce in the country.
The vulcanizers also appealed to the government to ensure that only standard and brand new tyres are permitted into the shores of Ghana "rather than the second-hand tyres which are usually worn out before they are brought into the country.
"In tyre business, you hold the lives of the people (passengers) in a vehicle. Once a car is being used, definitely there will be a tyre under it.
"Most of the tyres being brought into Ghana, especially from China, some of them are inferior goods. Especially, the tyres used by these huge tracks. They are not good.
"Sometimes you fill a brand new tyre (with air) and within one week the tyres get burst.
"I think with such tyres, they (the government) should ban them (from being imported into Ghana)," one of the Vulcanizers said in an interview with Ghanaweb.
The vulcaniszers gave the admonishment after a training workshop held for them in Koforidua by the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA).
According to the vulganizer, who plies his trade at Nkawkaw, the substandard tyres are not friendly to the Ghanaian weather and so are unable to stand the heat on Ghana's roads and thus, end up getting burst after a few days of usage.
"We have to ban them. They cannot stand the heat here. They are not good to be used here," he stressed.
Another vulcanizer who works at Oda also expressed that once the inferior tyres find their way into the country and drivers purchase them for their vehicles, some bad nuts in the vulcanizing business will still go ahead to fix them under the vehicles for the drivers. "This will result in accidents on the roads."
"A good vulcanizer won't feel comfortable working on home used tyres.
"And a good vulcanizer who is a professional and knows his worth, will not inflate tyres over or below the required guage," he said.
The Oda based vulcanizer also called the government to enforce the law that will compel all vulcanizers to work only on acceptable and standard new tyres.
They called on the government to as well make available some funding avenue to help vulcanizers and other youth who wish to do vulcanizing to access as capital to start their own businesses.
"This will help reduce unemployment in the country," he explained.
On his part, the Head of Regulations, Inspection and Compliance at the NRSA, Kwame Kodua Atuahene, expressed satisfaction in the work of most vulcanizers in the country.
He, however, explained that they would need periodic trainings to enhance their knowledge in the vulcanizing work.
A transport consultant, Ing. Samuel Obeng Asiamah, indicated that his outfit, in collaboration with other enforcement agencies would work at ensuring enforcement regimes where the importation of substandard tyres are halted.
He indicated also that enforcement of the nonuse of the inferior tyres by drivers would be strengthened.
"The Law (LI2180) describes that we should not use tyres that are over four years, it also states that we should not use substandard tyres and the law also says we should ensure that tyres are not under inflated..." He said.
