I had an excellent commute into work this morning. For the first time since the snow came I did the half-hour trek without any white-knuckle moments, and it’s not because I was light on the accelerator, it’s because I’ve finally had my winter tires installed.
I navigated more than two decades worth of Alberta winters on all-season tires, all the while tuning out the oft-stated virtues of winter tires. Then last year, having just moved to a rural area where the roads are windy and the snow clearing sketchy, I acquiesced and shelled out the $700 for new winter tires.
I noticed the difference immediately. Suddenly my little Ford Focus was zipping along ice and snow-encrusted roads almost as if they were dry. All last winter I basically drove like a maniac but was unable to coax the car into a skid or anywhere near a ditch.
I was late getting my winter tires put on this fall, so I’ve spent the last two weeks inching along the region’s highways, spinning at intersections and floundering in parking lots. I’ve felt like an irresponsible citizen. In fact, I believe I actually was an irresponsible citizen, because I allowed myself to be a danger on the road while the means to be much safer were readily at hand.
I’ve recently been involved in many conversations about winter tires and I’ve heard a lot of comments like, “I’ve never had a problem with regular tires.” Well, that’s what I thought too until I actually tried winter tires. The difference when you drive is like night and day.
Tests show that winter tires provide 50 per cent more traction, because they’re made of softer rubber that doesn’t harden and lose grip at cold temperatures, which is the main problem with all-season tires. Now that I’ve experienced the difference between winter tires and all-seasons, I have no doubt that every vehicle in Alberta should have winter tires on.
The province of Quebec, which has required winter tires since 2008, has reported a five per cent drop in winter crashes. It’s time for Alberta lawmakers to give this idea serious thought.
The two most common arguments against such a law are: 1) the cost of winter tires is prohibitive for some residents and 2) the law is difficult to enforce. Both of these statements are true but the potential benefit to public safety supercedes both objections.
Regarding cost: Driving is costly, there’s no getting around that. If you can’t afford to do it, you need to use some other form of transportation. We shouldn’t compromise safety for what amounts to several hundred dollars every few years.
The enforcement argument is a common one but it’s a thin argument at best. Laws are there, not only to punish people who behave in ways we’ve deemed undesirable, but to define desirable behaviour in the first place. The very existence of laws and regulations has the effect of steering residents – well, some residents, at least – toward desirable behaviour. Of course, no law achieves 100 per cent compliance nor 100 per cent enforcement, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have laws. We don’t catch all murderers but no one would suggest that murder not be illegal.
The bottom line here is that winter tires are clearly safer so let’s get them on every vehicle in the province.
Cory Hare is the Gazette’s assistant editor.
