A new poll on the use of winter tires in Alberta found that 63 per cent of Albertans use winter tires. The poll was conducted by Leger for the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada. Nationally, 75 per cent of Canadians said they use winter tires. In Quebec, 100 per cent of respondents had winter tires on their vehicles during the winter months.
Quebec has a mandatory winter tire law in place. Drivers must have winter tires on their cars from Dec. 1 to March 15. Drivers who fail to change their tires over can face a $200 to $300 fine and two demerit points.
Alberta doesn’t have any regulations in place when it comes to winter tires.
“Currently, the province of Alberta does not make it mandatory for vehicles to be equipped with winter tires during the winter months. However, Alberta Transportation does recommend that when driving in severe winter conditions that vehicles are equipped with four winter or all-weather tires for improved traction and control,” Alberta Transportation said in a statement.
British Colombia is the only other province that has any winter tire regulations. Drivers must use winter tires or chains on designated highways from Oct. 1 to April 30.
“They’ve definitely seen improvements in both those provinces by mandating having the tires. AMA doesn’t have a stance one way or the other, however when you see the stats and the improved performance and when you consider the safety of everyone in the vehicle it’s absolutely worth investing in those tires,” said Ryan Lemont, Manager of AMA Drivers Education.
While Alberta doesn’t have mandatory winter tire laws on the books, automobile associations including AMA encourages Albertans to consider putting them on their vehicles.
“AMA recommends that people use winter tires mainly for the improved traction that you can get with it. When temperatures dip below 7 degrees that’s when your typical all-season tires start to lose their traction. When you invest in a winter tire it gives you that improved traction and performance in slushy, wet, snowy and icy conditions. It’s been proven to stop a vehicle by up to 15 feet compared to all-season tires,” said Lemont.
One common misconception is that All-season tires are a safe option for motorists to use year-round.
“The real difference between all-season and winter tires is the softer rubber compound in a winter tire. With an all-season tire, it starts to lose its traction at plus seven. When you start to get to the freezing temperature you’ve already got that reduced traction,” said Lemont.
Winter tires can be a big investment for many people as they can cost hundreds of dollars. While all-season tires aren’t recommended to be used all year long. There are options for people who don’t want to change their tires each year.
“For the people out there that don’t want to invest in a dedicated winter tire, there’s an option called an all-weather tire that’s actually designed for all four seasons. It’s got that mountain snowflake rating on it. So it’s been proven to have traction in those adverse weather conditions. For somebody that just wants an all-around good tire that they don’t have to swap and it’s great for urban centres as well look at that all-weather tire option because it is a proven winter tire but you can drive on that all year long,” said Lemont.
The winter tire poll also found that 80 per cent of winter tire owners believe driving a vehicle equipped with winter tires has saved them from being involved in a potentially hazardous driving situation.
