Imported Tyres Must Pass SLS Tests From 2027 — Safer Roads or a Local-Industry Favour?

Cabinet has approved a rule making Sri Lanka Standards compulsory for every imported tyre from 1 January 2027 — SLS 1212 for passenger car tyres, SLS 1347 for three-wheeler tyres — under a gazette signed by the President in his capacity as Finance Minister. The stated goal is to keep unbranded, no-name tyres off the market, but it also shields local tyre manufacturers from cheaper imported competition. One side says this is overdue: a worn or substandard tyre at speed on the expressway, or on an overloaded tuk going up a hill, is a death sentence, and most buyers have no way to judge tyre quality just by looking at it in a shop. The other side points out that cheap imported tyres are often the only thing a tuk driver or a tight-budget family can afford, and "quality standard" import rules have a habit of becoming a backdoor price floor once local producers stop having to compete on price. Have you had a bad experience with a cheap imported tyre, or does this smell like protectionism dressed up as safety? මිල අඩු ටයර් එකක් නිසා පාඩුවක් වුණාද? ඒ අත්දැකීම කියන්න.