It’s that time of year again.
Fall’s arrival in the north means winter tire regulations take effect on many provincial highways starting on Sunday (October 1).
“Driving for work or pleasure can be dangerous, no matter how much experience you have,” said Trace Acres, Program Director for Road Safety at Work and spokesperson for the 15th annual Shift into Winter campaign.
“Conditions can change quickly and you need to prepare now to help keep yourself and your passengers safe.”
The number of crashes caused by driving too fast for conditions doubles at this time of year in B.C.
Winter tires often provide better traction and stopping distances when temperatures drop below 7C.
“They can’t help you if you don’t have them on your vehicle before poor weather arrives, though,” Acres says. “Waiting until rain, ice, or snow hits is too late.”
Designated highways in the region also require winter tires or chains from October 1 to March 31. The timeline extends to April 30 for select highways, including mountain passes and rural routes in high snowfall areas.
Tires displaying the three-peaked mountain/snowflake symbol and M+S (mud and snow) tires both meet the legal requirement as long as they have at least 3.5 mm of tread.
Winter tires outperform M+S tires in cold and snowy conditions.
Nearly 40% of all work-related crashes in B.C. resulting in injury and time off the job occur from November to February, according to WorkSafeBC.
(From the files of Brendan Pawliw)
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