Petition for legislation for winter and all season tyres

[Big J]

3 minutes ago, Will Heal said:

Or maybe just drive sensibly when it’s icy.
We had 2 weeks of icy roads In Wiltshire before Xmas, I have 6 miles of un treated roads to drive in the morning to work.
Would I be better to get winter tyres on and drive like a twat or take 10 minutes longer and just drive steady

You're not safe on summer tyres though, irrespective of how sensibly you drive. Your braking distances are massive by comparison and you can't easily change direction. 

 

I just can't understand why there is resistance to a no extra cost idea that improves your safety (and the safety of others) in winter.

[WesD]

2 minutes ago, Big J said:

Buy your tyres according to your climate and stay safe! 

That’s the winner it should be up to you. 

[Khriss]

Yea Big J - an their Southerners so their excuses are their own but in real life we look after what we have an a few quid on Mud - Snow tyres aint  more than a box of wine from Oddbins - so its abt time to get jack out n stop the endless re runs of Emmerdale  n make our cars safe , K

[Khriss]

1 hour ago, Gray git said:

Can you imagine some of the stuck up mums at your local school in the BMW 4x4 out changing the wheels over when the weather changes.... Would just end up being a money making opportunity for ever tire place.
Quite agree with you j as recently I've seen more 4x4s with low profile rubber bands stuck or slipping about then ever before, isn't helped by a lot of people having no idea how to drive in anything but perfect condition because they feel protected by all the technical stuff in modern cars and just expect it to go and stop when they tell it to.
When I was in Finland they had to do a winter driving course before qualifying for a full licence, not really applicable for the condition we get but something wouldn't hurt.

Actually Matty - I would love ( nay I would pay ! for the priveledge )  to see Essex mums swapping over tyres to M@S to get their kids to school an then moaning abt no chips on school dinners menu , call me old fashioned K

[Big J]

28 minutes ago, WesD said:

That’s the winner it should be up to you. 

But we'd all be safer on all season tyres for the majority of the year. I'll email some tyre manufacturers and see what they recommend.....

[woody paul]

4 minutes ago, Big J said:

I'll email some tyre manufacturers and see what they recommend.....

Will you are at it ring you insurance company and see what they say to how it will change your insurance.

[monkeybusiness]

41 minutes ago, Big J said:

My wife went out with my baby daughter this morning to the doctors. During the time she was out, about 4cm of snow fell. Upon returning home, she was unable to ascend the hill to our house (gentle 10% gradient for the last 40m) and it took me 10 minutes to get the car back into the drive. I know how to drive on snow, and the summer tyres that were on the car were the reason I struggled. The van (on all seasons) glided straight up.

The German laws regarding winter tyres are entirely sensible. In the UK, we spend a lot more time hovering around freezing whereas on the continent the winters tend to be colder. As such, we suffer more with black ice. If we all ran around on appropriate tyres, we'd not be at the mercy of the council gritters, lives would be saved and the economy would benefit. 

 

I appreciate that on the south coast there is a much lessened need for them, but then as a proposal, why can tyre manufacturers not offer a percentage rating on their tyres, winter/summer (like they do with all terrain tyres, offroad/onroad). If you are in the north of Scotland equip your vehicle with 70/30 winter summer tyres. If you are in the south of England 20/80 winter summer. It's surely not that difficult. Buy your tyres according to your climate and stay safe! 

Do you need the law to instruct you on how to stay safe? 

We will have laws on how many pairs of socks to wear at different temperatures at this rate... 

[Paul in the woods]

I looked at all season tyres when I replaced mine on the family car the other week. The best did have a longer stopping distance in the dry compared to the best summer tyre but the all season tyre wasn't a suitable speed rating and thus my insurance would not have been valid. I do wonder how many people are technically uninsured at this time of year.

[Big J]

There are a great number of idiots on the road who do not drive to the conditions. At least on correct tyres they'd have a better chance of avoiding a crash. I have no issue with laws stipulating appropriate tyres for winter. To suggest that you can circumvent correct equipment with technical skill is missing the point. Most people are not technical drivers and even the best driver will have rings run round them by an average driver if the former is on summer tyres, the latter on winter tyres and the roads are snowy or icy.

 

Woody Paul - good thinking. Perhaps by offering a reduction in insurance premiums for people who use correct tyres over winter will be enough to encourage widespread adoption.

[Big J]

5 minutes ago, Paul in the woods said:

I looked at all season tyres when I replaced mine on the family car the other week. The best did have a longer stopping distance in the dry compared to the best summer tyre but the all season tyre wasn't a suitable speed rating and thus my insurance would not have been valid. I do wonder how many people are technically uninsured at this time of year.

I googled it, and there aren't many companies take issue with the fitment of winter tyres:

 

https://www.abi.org.uk/globalassets/sitecore/files/documents/publications/public/migrated/motor/abi-guide-to-winter-tyres-the-motor-insurance-commitment.pdf