National Tire Safety Week on June, 2024: I need to know Quickly about maine inspection laws.Pertaining to Tires and Lifts?

National Tire Safety Week 2024. Under Pressure? It's National Tire Safety Week - Be Car Care Aware National Tire Safety Week

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Tire, body lift law causes confusion

Auto shops, other businesses say rule forces them to turn away customers

BANGOR - The state is doing a lousy job of educating vehicle owners about a year-old tire regulation, according to staff at many Maine tire companies and other industry businesses, and it is forcing them to turn customers away."Just this morning I had three customers leave very agitated because they wanted to put on bigger tires than what the manufacturer recommends," Al Belanger, owner of Tires, Batteries and Accessories Inc. of Bangor, said Saturday. "Everybody's blood pressure goes up, and they say, 'It's my car and I'll do what I want with it.' It makes it hard for us to do business. The normal public does not know about this," he said.

The Department of Public Safety vehicle inspection law, passed in 1993, made it illegal to raise or lower the body or suspension or change the tire size of vehicles with rear-wheel or all-wheel anti-lock brakes.

The new regulation, approved in September 2003, states that if the tire rim size of a vehicle is altered, the overall circumference of the tire must be within the vehicle manufacturer's specifications in order to get an inspection sticker."You can actually put on larger-sized rims as long as the circumference of the tire stays the same," Sgt. Donald Pomelow of the Maine State Police traffic division said Tuesday. "The 1993 law states that anti-lock break vehicles cannot be altered. That means no suspension, or body lifts. This [new law] kind of brought it up to date to allow after-market rims and tires."

Vehicles with anti-lock brakes have a speed sensor that is affected by a change in tire size or vehicle height, Pomelow said, which could affect safetyand prompted the law.

"There is no manufacturer that recommends a lift kit on any of their vehicles, and even the brake manufacturers are adamant that larger tires and lift kits should not be allowed," he said. "According to national safety reports, vehicles with larger tires and lift kits are more prone to rollovers and longer braking distances because of the larger tires."

Staff at Hammond Street Gulf service station, which inspects vehicles, and VIP Discount Auto Parts on the Odlin Road, which sells tires and does inspections, both in Bangor, agreed with Belanger that people just are not educated about the laws.

"I've had to tell them we can't put them [larger tires] on," VIP manager Todd Dumond said on Monday. "What we try to do is find a tire that meets the circumference of the vehicle."

He estimates he turns away five or six customers a week because they don't understand the law.

Del Harriman, a vehicle inspector and Hammond Street Gulf manager, said she must educate customers on a daily basis about the law."We send people away every day," she said on Monday. "Sometimes it's ten to twenty a day, but normally it's five or six."

TBA employee Eddie Pinkham said there have been lifted vehicles on the roads for years. He said part of the problem is that older vehicles without anti-lock brakes can be altered.

"Look around town; I can probably name 20 people who have their bodies lifted," he said.

Now, however, between 80 percent and 90 percent of vehicles on the road have anti-lock brakes, and therefore, more vehicles come under the provisions of the tire laws.

Lt. Chris Grotton of the Maine State Police traffic division said confusion over the law has resulted in less enforcement over the last decade. This year, however, the department actively has tried to reduce the number of illegal vehicles on the road.

"Over the last year or so we've taken a different approach and have taken a more robust stance," he said. "We've gone through the state and looked at all the [inspection] stations to make sure they have the right tools and manuals."

Educating law enforcement is another key to enforcing the law, Grotton said.

"One of the things we're doing is creating a training piece to increase knowledge of what's allowed and what's not," he said. "We need clearer laws.

"Not all police officers are mechanics, and I think we need to work for regulations and laws that are easier for law enforcement, mechanics and the general public to understand," he said.

Drivers who change or alter their vehicles after receiving an inspection sticker could face a fine of up to $500 and up to 30 days in jail or both. They also could face a $132 fine for a defective motor vehicle. Inspection stations that issue illegal inspection stic

cross country in 3 weeks?

1 of all make sure u have proper clothes running shorts t-shirt runing shoes ect.

2 u got to be motivated pick the reason ur doing this lose weigh with states something and focus on it

to help yourself stay motivated while u run write words on ur hands like champion of ur bf and when u feel tired u can look down and it'll help u push on

its much easier to run with a group too so maybe try and find a couple of friends to run with you or possibly a camp www.deckerrunningacademy.com (if u live near me)

3 don't run in the heat of day either wake up early before the sun (is a lot better) or after it goes down it'll be much easier

4 stay hydrated a god runner drinks an average of a gallon of water a day (gatorade is good too but not all u still have to have some water

5 PAIN IS BAD fatigue aching and sorness is good but burning or pain is bad if u feel pain stop and take a break

6 remember to stretch before(dynamic) and after (static) every run the more limber you are the better a runner you can become

7 pace yourself if you don't casually run then don't start off running 5 miles a day start with maybe 1-2 and SLOWLY progress upwards when u run ur actually tearing down your muscles and then when you r resting they a rebuilt stronger so take a day 2 off a week for sureif your running in a hilly area don't feel like you have to run the whole time walk if you need to and as you progress do more

8 safety to help keep yourself fit to run here are a few pointers staying hydrated means drinking a lot the night be fore not 5 minutes before u run it will just sit in your stomach and do u no good downhills do nothing but bad for u walk the downhills running down them is bad for your knees if something is bothering you after a run strech it out and then that night ice it if you get cramp while ur running stop push on the spot hard and breathe out ALL the air in ur lungs should get rid of them

thats all i can remember right now hope it helps took a long time to help if u got any questions email me and remember

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice a gift."

-Steve Prefontaine

"It's a simple choice: We can all be good boys and wear our letter sweaters around and get our little degrees and find some nice girl to settle, you know, down, with...take up what a friend of ours calls the hearty challenges of lawn care..........Or we can blaze! Become legends in our own time, strike fear in the heart of mediocre talent everywhere! We can scald dogs, put records out of reach! Make the stands gasp as we blow into an unearthly kick from 300 yards out! We can become God's own messanger delivering the dreaded scrolls! We can race dark Satan himself till he wheezes fiery cinders down the back straightaway! They'll speak our names in hushed tones,"those guys are animals" they'll say! We can lay it on the line, bust a gut, show them a pair of clean heels. We can sprint the turn on a spring breeze and feel the winter leave our feet. We can, by God let our demons loose and just wail on."

"Games require skill. Running requires endurance, character, pride, physical strength, and mental toughness. Running is a test, not a game. A test of faith, belief, will, and trust in ones self. So hardcore that it needs a catogory all to itself to define the pain. When game players criticize, it's because they aren't willing to understand, not because they're stronger. Running is more than just a sport; it's a lifestyle. If you have to ask us why we run, you'll never understand so just accept."

You might be a runner if...................

You can't sleep without a bottle of water by your bed.

You subconsciously start and stop your watch every time you move.

That not so cute girl gets a lot cuter after she tells you she made nationals.

You set your alarm for 6 A.M. on the weekends.

You meet an old teammate and can't remember their name but immediately remember their mile time.

You fantisize about doing mile repeats.

You almost wish that a pickpocket would grab your wallet just so you could chase him down.

You have a hard time turning right.

You can correctly pronounce "Hicham El Guerrouj"

Finishers ribbons are not keepers.

You waste ridiculous amounts of time engaged in meaningless arguments and disscussions about running.

It really matters to you whether the track is 400M or 440yds.

You see a skinny person on the street and immediately look at their shoes.

Ten reasons to date a runner.....

1)They always have water available.

2)They know uses for band-aids and vaseline that you've never thought of.

3)They can tell you how to see if your hydrated. 4)They understand the value of a densely wooded area on a running route.

5)You'll have plenty of free t-shirts. (soo true)

6)They know a million ways to use a stopwatch.

7)They know how long a good shoe lasts, despite how it looks.

8)They won't wake you up before those early A.M. runs, but they'll get back in time to make you breakfast.

9)They know the meaning of "P.R", "Fartlek", and "LSD".

10)Endurance on the track means endurance in the sac. (yea.......)

My exchange student arrives this week, and I'm nervous. Last minute advice?

I was an exchange student a few years back, so I have some suggestions. First of all, most students are coming from far away, and they may have to deal with jet lag or at the very least a long plane flight. Expect your student to be very tired when she arrives, and don't plan to do any big activities on the first day she is there. If possible, you and your husband should both go to the airport to pick her up, so she can meet both of you at the same time. Because she will be tired when she arrives (and I'm assuming she is not a native English speaker), she will most likely be very quiet. This is totally normal! Depending on her level of English, she may be very quiet for a few weeks, as she gets more comfortable with speaking English. Exchange students often say that the first few weeks are just exhausting, because their brains are working overtime to process the new language and culture.

Encourage your exchange student to call or send her parents an e-mail to let them know that she got to your home okay, and after that don't encourage her to have frequent contact with home. It may seem strange, but it is very hard to acclimate to a new culture and family if you are still mentally at home. Our exchange organization recommended that we not talk to our parents back home for a couple of months, and after that to keep contact minimal. I found it helpful not to talk to my parents very often because I tended to get emotional, and homesickness was much worse after I talked to them.

Make sure you have your student's room set up and that she has a dresser and closet, or similar place to put her clothes. As much as possible, try to keep the room decorations (framed pictures, figurines, etc.) to a minimum so she can decorate the room as she wants. It can be very helpful to be able to put your own photos on the walls and to have a space that feels like your own.

Another thing you can plan on doing with your exchange student is show her around your neighborhood or city so she becomes familiar with the area. If there are public buses where you live, make sure she knows how to use them. If you have an extra bike, let her know that she can use the bike to get around if she wants to. It can be tough being an exchange students in the US because students aren't allowed to drive, and oftentimes have to depend on their host family for rides. That can lead to students feeling isolated. Try to help her be somewhat independent, whether that means riding a bike, walking or taking a bus somewhere. At the very least, take a walk around your neighborhood so she's familiar with her surroundings.

Let your student know that there will be house rules, and talk to her about them soon after she arrives, after she's settled in. She most likely will have had different rules at home, and it's important that she know what your expectations are in terms of curfew, chores, cleanliness (such as her room), safety, etc. Encourage her to invite her new friends from school to your house, and get to know them. The easiest way for her to learn English is to make friends who speak only English.

Plan on taking short or maybe longer trips so she can see more of the country. Depending on how much time and money you have to work with, you could take her to a state or national park, or show her local attractions, or drive to another city and show her around.

You will be a great host parent. The best host parents are the ones who are really excited about what they're doing. Don't worry -- I'm sure everything will work out great. :)

Wow, it looks like I wrote a book! Feel free to send me a message if you have any questions!