Does the law included below mean:
A: You're legal if you can find anywhere on the tire where two
adjacent grooves have greater than 1/32" tread depth, or
B: You're illegal if there is any place on the tire where you can't
point to two adjacent grooves with more than 1/32" tread depth.
It seems to me that in contrast to the snow tire requirements which
state "at all points on the tire" (which would be equivalent to case
B), the normal tire requirements would be case A.
Here is the relevant section of the California Vehicle Code:
(b) No person shall use on a highway a pneumatic tire on a vehicle
axle when the tire has less than the following tread depth, except
when temporarily installed on a disabled vehicle as specified in
subdivision (a):
(1) One thirty-second (1/32) of an inch tread depth in any two
adjacent grooves at any location of the tire, except as provided in
paragraphs (2) and (3).
(2) Four thirty-second (4/32) of an inch tread depth at all points
in all major grooves on a tire on the steering axle of any motor
vehicle specified in Section 34500, and two thirty-second (2/32) of
an inch tread depth at all points in all major grooves on all other
tires on the axles of these vehicles.
(3) Six thirty-second (6/32) of an inch tread depth at all points in
all major grooves on snow tires used in lieu of tire traction
devices in posted tire traction device control areas.
--
john@idsfa.net John Stimson
http://www.idsfa.net/~john/ HMC Physics '94
|