Proposed bill would require garages to check auto tire pressure

By Cy Ryan

Wednesday, June 30, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.

CARSON CITY — When motorists take their cars to be serviced in the future, the garage may be required to check and adjust the tire pressure.

The Legislative Study Committee on the Production and Use of Energy has voted to submit a bill to the 2011 Legislature that would require tire-pressure checks when the car is being repaired or having an oil change or brake service.

“This is good for air quality and it’s good for safety,” said Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas, the chairman of the committee.

Assemblywoman Heidi Gansert, R-Reno, said she believes in checking tire pressure but questioned the role of government in ordering it. “I believe in personal responsibility,” she said in voting against drafting the bill.

In California, a similar program has saved gasoline, cut back on air pollution, extended the life of the tires by 4,700 miles and saved motorists an average of $12 a year, Schneider said.

The committee shelved a suggestion for a bill authorizing state and local governments to delay the purchase of new, fuel-efficient vehicles for up to two years until all-electric vehicles are available.