# Winter tyres and equipment obligation and enforcement



## keber (Nov 8, 2006)

How does your country oblige and enforce the use of winter tires and other equipment in winter conditions?
_(I think it is clear, that this thread is not applicable to countries, that never see the snow)_

Here in Slovenia, where snow is a normal thing during the winter all drivers must use winter tires from 15th November to 15th March except in coastal areas. Instead of winter tires drivers can also use normal tires, but must have snow chains to be ready and use them in case of snow.
I must say that police does not do their work and with last snowing most problems were caused by drivers (many foreign) with inappropriate equipment. Many drivers even blame road cleaning services and not their own lack of correct equipment and driving skills.hno:


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## PLH (Mar 9, 2007)

Here - nothing at all. You don't need to have neither winter tires (and many idiots don't) nor any equipment. hno:


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

In the Netherlands it's recommended but not required. About 10% of the Dutch cars have winter tires.

Well, I don't. They're only really useful in those few days per year there is snow on the road. I can postpone longer trips usually, so I don't think those few times per year justifies the cost for me. 

The Netherlands is extremely flat, so you barely have uphill circumstances here. We had 8 days of snow cover here last week, and I drove my car every day and didn't spin my wheels once. Just drive easy, accelerate slow and easy, and don't take turns too violent, and you're okay.

But if I was living in say, Germany, which sees snow much more often and has hilly areas, I would buy winter tires.


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## Timon91 (Feb 9, 2008)

When my parents bought the "car", they were offered winter tires for a good price, so we have them. They're also useful since we sometimes go to Germany in winter.


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## Morsue (Mar 28, 2008)

In Sweden, it's mandatory to use winter tyres for vehicles with a maximum weight of less than 3500 kgs between the 1st of December and the 31st of March when there is snow or ice on the road. These winter tyres must be marked as such and have a minimum depth of 3 mm. Studded tyres are only allowed between the 1st of October and the 15th of April, and at other dates if there is snow or ice on the road.

Failure to comply with the regulations carries a fine of 1200 SEK per tyre.


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## Rebasepoiss (Jan 6, 2007)

^^ It's very similar in Estonia. Winter tyres are compulsory from 1st December until 1st March for vehicles that have up to 9 seats, for trucks up tp 3,5 tonnes and for trailers that weigh 750-3500kgs. You can use studded tyres from 1st October until 1st May. That last period should be shortened by one month, IMO.


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## x-type (Aug 19, 2005)

in Croatia we don't have fixed dates, but in winter conditions one mustn't drive without winter equipment (which is 4 M+S tyres or 4 S tyres with at least 4 mm deep patterns with prepared winter chains for case of snow). many people are using winter tyres, some 10 years ago they didn't but now yes. usually we use them somewhere between 15th November and 1st March.

personally, i think that winter tyres are useful only when there is snow on the road and when it's freezing (but difference is visible at really cold temperatures, under -5°C)


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## Morsue (Mar 28, 2008)

From what I've learnt, ordinary summer tires have a composition which contains a lot of plastic, and that plastic becomes harder at about +5°C which makes them lose some of their grip on wet surfaces.


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## Djurizmo (Jul 19, 2009)

In Serbia (since new law introduction, 15 days ago) you need to have M+S or S tyres from 15th November till 15th April, but only on driving wheels or regular tyres with minimum depth of 4 mm.

You still need to have tyre chains on mountains.


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## Djurizmo (Jul 19, 2009)

Morsue said:


> From what I've learnt, ordinary summer tires have a composition which contains a lot of plastic, and that plastic becomes harder at about +5°C which makes them lose some of their grip on wet surfaces.


True


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

Morsue said:


> From what I've learnt, ordinary summer tires have a composition which contains a lot of plastic, and that plastic becomes harder at about +5°C which makes them lose some of their grip on wet surfaces.


That is true. They advertise that at temperatures below +7, the winter tires is superior to the summer tire. This, however, doesn't mean a summer tire is completely useless below +7 C. The real advantage of a winter tire are situations with snow-covered roads, especially on a slope. In such situations, winter tires are far superior to summer tires. I doubt if winter tires are very effective on icy roads though. My boss has winter tires but couldn't park his car slightly uphill on ice, he kept slipping away. You need chains or spikes in such conditions.


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## keber (Nov 8, 2006)

Morsue said:


> From what I've learnt, ordinary summer tires have a composition which contains a lot of plastic, and that plastic becomes harder at about +5°C which makes them lose some of their grip on wet surfaces.


Not true, those are tire company advertisements. Tests from independent journalist have proven, that normal tire (of course not some cheap-shit) is better and behaves better in *dry *conditions even with sub-zero temperatures (to about -5, even -10 with some models). I also can confirm their results from my experiences, especially in wet conditions. But in real winter snow tires are much better.


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## x-type (Aug 19, 2005)

keber said:


> Not true, those are tire company advertisements. Tests from independent journalist have proven, that normal tire (of course not some cheap-shit) is better and behaves better in *dry *conditions even with sub-zero temperatures (to about -5, even -10 with some models). I also can confirm their results from my experiences, especially in wet conditions. But in real winter snow tires are much better.


that's my opinion, too. winter tyres become visibly better than summer on really low temperatures in deep minus. those +7°C is only marketing trick


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## 3naranze (Nov 10, 2009)

In Italy is the owner of the road fixing the date by setting this road sign (below). so it'mandatory to use winter/studded tyrers or chains ( there often lay-by to set them up, e.g. roads to dolomiti supersky area)








by Weissenfels traction S.p.A.


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## Danielk2 (Jun 2, 2009)

In Denmark, winter tyres aren't mandatory but they are recommended. Many people didn't get winter tyres this year because they didn't expect any snow at all.


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## Bjarki (Sep 18, 2009)

Iceland only has the vague guideline that you use the appropriate tyres for the given conditions. In other words: use common sense. Most people switch to studded tyres over winter but if you live in the Reykjavík area and only use your car there, you will do fine with a set of all season tyres.

There is however a rule that forbids the use of studded tyres and snow chains between 15 April and 31 October unless unseasonal winter conditions demand it.

EDIT: I should also mention that snow chains for cars are practically unknown in Iceland, probably because everybody who drives in winter conditions uses studded tyres already. Snow chains are used by lorries though, but only in especially difficult slopes.


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## Danielk2 (Jun 2, 2009)

Studded tyres are illegal all year round in Denmark


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## Tin_Can (Jun 17, 2009)

3naranze said:


>


 Unless our government (Estonia) has changed Traffic Rules (Liikluseeskiri) again,then it's not mandatory to have snow chains in your car here. Only winter tires are mandatory. Studded tyres are optional use (allowed in winter)


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## Danielk2 (Jun 2, 2009)

:wtf: Are studded tyres mandatory?? Does the government hate roads???


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## pijanec (Mar 28, 2007)

I think that winter tyres shouldn't be mandatory by law and responsibility should be up to drivers. In case they cause problems without proper equipment, there should be fines and in case of accidents it's up to insurance companies to punish such drivers.


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## Tin_Can (Jun 17, 2009)

Danielk2 said:


> :wtf: Are studded tyres mandatory?? Does the government hate roads???


 sorry,my mistake,only winter tires are mandatory.. studded tires are not and are used at your own risk,but by many people choose studded tires (they are noisy,but give a lot better grip in icy conditions) And yeah,studded tires destroy roads hno:


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## DanielFigFoz (Mar 10, 2007)

There aren't laws for this as such in Portugla or in the UK, but for example in the Portugese Serra da Estrela (a mountain range) as several roads rise to large altitudes, winter tyres are obligatory sometimes.


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## Morsue (Mar 28, 2008)

pijanec said:


> I think that winter tyres shouldn't be mandatory by law and responsibility should be up to drivers. In case they cause problems without proper equipment, there should be fines and in case of accidents it's up to insurance companies to punish such drivers.


Sweden has had these regulations for about ten years after several serious accidents involving cars driving with summer tyres killed a lot of people. Obviously, the policy you propose didn't work here.


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## Rebasepoiss (Jan 6, 2007)

pijanec said:


> I think that winter tyres shouldn't be mandatory by law and responsibility should be up to drivers. In case they cause problems without proper equipment, there should be fines and in case of accidents it's up to insurance companies to punish such drivers.


That depends. You have to be suicidal or completely stupid to drive with summer tyres during the winter months in Estonia. The average temperatures of December, January and February are below 0C so most of the precipitation falls as snow, resulting in road conditions that summer tyres simply can't handle. Besides that, you have to consider the threat of black ice. It's not a matter of how good of a driver you are, it's about simple physics.


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## 3naranze (Nov 10, 2009)

I'll be more precise about studded tyres in Italy: they are allowed from 15 nov till 15 march, the car must have mud flaps. max speed 90 km/h.


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## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

So even during the summer it is mandatory to carry chains if I travel to Austria?


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## 3naranze (Nov 10, 2009)

In Austria it's mandatory winter equipment only from 1 nov till 15 april.
See also http://www.oeamtc.at/index.php?type=article&id=1127991&menu_active=0194


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## Fargo Wolf (Oct 23, 2009)

pijanec said:


> I think that winter tyres shouldn't be mandatory by law and responsibility should be up to drivers. In case they cause problems without proper equipment, there should be fines and in case of accidents it's up to insurance companies to punish such drivers.


It used to be the same here in the province of British Columbia. Now, you're SUPPOSED to have winter tyres, studded winter tyres or chains. Preferably winter tyres AND chains. So far, it's not being enforced in the region where I live, but it is at the coast.

I never bothered to get any. I just slow down and drive according to the conditions with my truck in 4-HI (Helps in getting going on ice, but that's about it) I also have six large sand bags in the back of my truck to put weight on the rear drive wheels.


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## Paddington (Mar 30, 2006)

In America, winter tires are rare as ****. In my region, it snows about 40 inches. The winter here is equal to or worse than the populated parts of Scandinavia. But I'd be surprised if even 10% of the cars had snow tires.

Even in places like upstate New York, where they typically see 100+ inches of snow, most people drive around without snow tires.


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## KiwiRob (Aug 2, 2009)

^^ Stupid rule isn't it, just imagine how fewer accidents and possibly deaths would occur if people were driving with the correct equipment.

In New Zealand winter tyres should be manditory for the South Island and recommended for people who live in the Central Plateau area of the North Island. Every year the news shows images of cars sliding around in the snow, a decent set of winter tyres would solve that problem.

In Norway winter tyres must be fitted from November until April, some cities in Norway make you pay a tax if you want to use spiked tyres.


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## Buddy Holly (Sep 24, 2008)

In Kosovo it is mandatory to use winter tired from 1 December to 31 March (though the latter date may be incorrect by a day or two). It is also mandatory to have chains or whatever they're called and it is also mandatory to use them when there's a lot of snow (though not always).


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## KiwiGuy (Jul 9, 2009)

KiwiRob said:


> ^^ Stupid rule isn't it, just imagine how fewer accidents and possibly deaths would occur if people were driving with the correct equipment.
> 
> In New Zealand winter tyres should be manditory for the South Island and recommended for people who live in the Central Plateau area of the North Island. Every year the news shows images of cars sliding around in the snow, a decent set of winter tyres would solve that problem.
> 
> In Norway winter tyres must be fitted from November until April, some cities in Norway make you pay a tax if you want to use spiked tyres.


Not all parts of the South Island. In Nelson, it hasn't snowed since 1939. And with some of the weather we have been having (heaviest snowfall in around 25 years came in November of all times!) it really doesn't matter. Besides, most seaside cities right in the deep south hardly get snow to sea level. Most of the people you see are on the state highways going through the mountain passes.


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## Alqaszar (Jan 18, 2008)

Where I live in Germany -- close to the Netherlands -- I don't use winter tyres on my current car. The winters here are typically without snow. Of course, real winter conditions like during the last week will hold my car in its garage.

Problem is in Germany: When you are stuck on the road because of a lack of adequate tyres, your will be fined. And insurancea won't cover any costs when you cause an accident lacking appropriate wheels.


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## 54°26′S 3°24′E (Oct 26, 2007)

3naranze said:


> In Italy is the owner of the road fixing the date by setting this road sign (below). so it'mandatory to use winter/studded tyrers or chains ( there often lay-by to set them up, e.g. roads to dolomiti supersky area)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


As already pointed out by KiwiRob, this map is incorrect when it comes to Norway. It is a bit disturbing that maps like this is floating around as every year numerous truck drivers end up it major problems, and are sometimes killed, due to inproper equipment. Specifically, you are required by law to:

1. Have tires with a thread depth of 3 mm or larger during winter(5 mm or larger is recommended). I believe the summer thread depth is 1.6 mm or so.
2. Heavy vehicles need to have chains available (and the driver needs to know how to put them on).

If you are in breech of this, your vehicle may be grounded and you will be heavily fined. In addition, if it is discovered that you drive with summer tires (even with a thread depth larger than 3 mm), you may also be in large trouble, especially in case of an accident.

Studded tires are clearly the best, an all surfaces except perhaps dry (and not too warm) road. On wet and / or warm road studded tires are better because their rubber is harder such that their drainage capabilities outperform studless tires made for the Scandinavian market. On snow, studless tires (again, made for the Scandinavian market) are almost as good as studded tires, but although they have vastly improved on dry ice, driving on wet ice is close to reckless. 

I have heard that the rubber mix and pattern of studless winter tires sold on the continent are different such that they work better on wet roads and high speed, but IMO it is irresponsible to use such tires, as well as "all-season-tires" during winter in S/N/FIN.

It is said that studded tires make a lot of road dust, and hence the use of them in the cities are now discouraged in the Norwegian cities, and you have to pay a fee in Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen(?) and Stavanger(?). In order to avoid chaos, the main roads are thus heavily salted during winter. This is quite contriversal, and I don't approve to this strategy, because:


It is not sustainable to throw such a massive amount of salt on the roads. It is harmful both for the local flora and possibly ground water.
The salt eats up the cars and drainage system, a huge cost for the Norwegian society at large. Especially worrisome is the effect on the break system.
Most of the dust in Norwegian cities actually come from burning fire wood for heating
Salted roads without ice creates a lot more dust than icy / snow covered roads.
Side roads that are not salted often gets extremely slippery
Tires also get extremely slippery if not cleaned regularly
Main roads that are salted gets very slippery at low temperatures when the salt is no longer able to melt the ice
People get used to drive on ice free roads, and often get into large trouble when suddenly there is some ice on the road. Often you cannot see the ice on black asphalt.
Norway (cars, roads, nearby houses, signs) gets extremly dirty due to the use of salt
Headlighs gets dirty as well, and will quickly be dimmed if not cleaned every 100-200 km or so.

Happy new year!


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## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

Well, I guess salt is one of this modern comforts we should not live without. Strudded tires would not make possible to drive in winter conditions. Unless you suppose people should stay inside their houses or only walk (riding a bicycle is a no-no in snowy conditions) whenever is snowed, it is impossible to have a Western lifyestyle without salt.


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## KiwiRob (Aug 2, 2009)

Where I live the roads are not salted until you get to Molde, we have never had any problems with ice, so long as you take it easy. On our newest cars we decided not to get spiked tyres and so far haven't regretted it. I don't like the damage salt does to the environment, plus it not good for the paint on our cars.


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## 54°26′S 3°24′E (Oct 26, 2007)

Suburbanist said:


> Well, I guess salt is one of this modern comforts we should not live without. Strudded tires would not make possible to drive in winter conditions. Unless you suppose people should stay inside their houses or only walk (riding a bicycle is a no-no in snowy conditions) whenever is snowed, it is impossible to have a Western lifyestyle without salt.


I have a bit of a problem in understanding what your arguments are, but your conclusion is certainly wrong. Up until about 10 - 15 years ago, very little salt was used on roads around where I lived, and it worked very well, studded tires or not. In Sweden, they are using significantly less salt (and more sand), and nobody in their right mind will argue that the winter conditions of their roads are worse than the Norwegian ones. 

And, I am riding a bicycle almost daily on snowy conditions. It works very well except for those areas that are recently salted and hence are slushy/slippery. In addition, the salt is unfortunately eating up the bicycle. Of course I use studded tires for the bike.


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## Rebasepoiss (Jan 6, 2007)

Rebasepoiss said:


> ^^ It's very similar in Estonia. Winter tyres are compulsory from 1st December until 1st March for vehicles that have up to 9 seats, for trucks up tp 3,5 tonnes and for trailers that weigh 750-3500kgs. *You can use studded tyres from 1st October until 1st May.* That last period should be shortened by one month, IMO.


The regulations were changed. Now you are allowed to use studded tyres from 15 October until 31 March.


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## CptSchmidt (Jan 7, 2010)

As far as I know, Quebec is the only province/territory that has a winter tire requirement.


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## 3naranze (Nov 10, 2009)

1. warning sign: 100m forward snow chains mounting area








2. snow chains mounting area








3. beyond this signal you would be fined and stopped, so you must buy snow chains set to go on.


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