No person shall drive or move any motor vehicle equipped with solid rubber tires unless every such tire shall have rubber on its entire traction surface at least one inch thick above the edge of the flange of the entire periphery. No person shall drive or move any motor vehicle or trailer upon the public highways, unless such motor vehicle or trailer is equipped with tires in safe operating condition in accordance with requirements approved by the director.

The director shall promulgate rules of safe operating condition capable of being employed by a law enforcement officer for visual inspection of tires mounted on vehicles including visual comparison with simple measuring gauges. Said requirements shall encompass effects of tread wear and depth of tread. A tire shall be considered unsafe if it has: (1) any ply or cord exposed; or (2) any bump, bulge or knot affecting tire structure; or (3) any break repaired with boot or patch; or (4) worn so that the tread wear indicators contact the road in any two adjacent major grooves at three locations spaced approximately equally around the outside of the tire. Nothing herein shall apply to farm vehicles registered under section 39:3-24 of this Title.

Any law enforcement officer, at any time, upon reasonable cause to believe that a vehicle is unsafe or equipped with tires in violation of the provisions of this section or of the rules promulgated hereunder, may require the operator of such vehicle to stop and submit such vehicle to an inspection. If the inspection discloses the vehicle to be in violation, the officer may issue a summons for such violation.

Amended by L.1970, c. 129, s. 1, eff. July 8, 1970.