When the rubber hits the road ...
SURVEY SAYS: Safety and economic benefits of all-winter tires far outweigh the initial expense you will bear
According to a new Ipsos poll, 84 per cent of those aged 18 to 34 believe winter tires are a must. This is encouraging, because they’re right. And maybe older isn’t necessarily wiser; those 35 to 54 came in at 77 per cent, while the 55-and-overs are at just 73.
When it comes to winter tires, there is only one way to make hardcore non-believers change their minds: Have them drive their car on a snowy, icy day to a tire shop, have it kitted out with winter tires, and then have them drive home.
The sales of winter tires in Canada are on the rise, and LowestRates.ca, a site that lets you compare insurance rates, recently commissioned Ipsos to do a study on winter tires. They broke it into three age groups: millennials (18–34), gen X (35–54) and baby boomers (55-plus).
It was also those millennials who were most aware they could get a break on their insurance rates if they switched out their all-seasons come fall, at 79 per cent. In Ontario that is a government-mandated reduction, but the amount is not. Check with your insurer; some are giving as little as one per cent, others up to 10, and the average is a five per cent reduction.
No, that won’t cover the cost of the tires, or even come close, but the fact remains that if two cars even touch in a collision, you’re likely looking at least a thousand bucks of damage to each one. The stopping distance you gain with winter tires will pay you back the cost of those tires with just one miss, before you even begin to factor in injury. Your company will also stipulate the dates those tires must be on; yank them too soon or lie about having them, get in a collision and risk your company refusing to pay out.
Are winter tires a cash grab? If you live in nearly any part of Canada, the answer is no. You have a responsibility to make sure the car you drive, or allow anyone else to drive, is safe. That means winter tires. All-season tires are not good enough, though that same survey found 29 per cent of those millennials believe they are, as did 27 per cent of the Xers and 23 per cent of the boomers. This is the group I want to take tire shopping. You’ll extend the life of your all-seasons if they’re off half the year, and the only thing I tell people regarding winters is to buy the best you can afford.
The diehards step in here and say because of their exemplary driving skills, they don’t need winter tires, that the fools who need them are driving too fast and beyond their skill level. I agree. Come winter, it is speed that is behind nearly every collision. Same as in summer. But I will never understand why anyone is willing to compromise the only contact their vehicle has with the road — those four small patches of rubber — and think their skill level is higher than basic physics.
All-season tires get brittle below 7 C and slide like hockey pucks. Winter tires are made of compounds that are improving every year. Even in even the past 10 years, changes have been dramatic, making accelerating easier and handling more accurate, but most importantly, dramatically improving stopping distances.
LowestRates chief executive Justin Thouin would like to see a concerted effort on several fronts to keep drivers safer, and keep their rates down. He thinks the combined efforts of tire manufacturers, media and government could keep pushing up those ‘must-have’ survey numbers.
Speaking of manufacturers, it’s not just tire manufacturers who have a role. I’ve noticed vehicle manufacturers increasingly using winter tires as a buying incentive. It makes sense: factor in the cost when you’re doing your car purchase, and never have a gap in safety from the day you take possession of your car.
Legislation is one way to enforce safety, but only Quebec has mandated the use of winters. Without being forced to, who doesn’t bother? It breaks down predictably: just over half (52 per cent) of British Columbians don’t install winter tires, “followed by Saskatchewan and Manitoba (42 per cent), Alberta (39 per cent), Ontario (32 per cent) and the Atlantic Provinces (22 per cent).”
On a related note, I would like to see government action behind rental companies not having winter tires in some parts of Canada. If you get off a plane in Winnipeg in February, none of the major rental agencies kit their vehicles with winters. Nor in Saskatchewan. You can request them in the other provinces, but there is no guarantee you’ll get them, outside of Quebec. New surroundings + visitor + bad conditions + unfamiliar car = you need winter tires.
If you do secure some, they ding you as much as $20 extra a day. Some places say because they offer AWD vehicles, their work is done. That’ll help get you going, but it sure doesn’t give you magic brakes.
I paid for winter tires when I couldn’t afford them, because I knew I couldn’t put a price on the safety of my children, or others around me. I paid for my kids’ winter tires until they could do it on their own because I knew they had to see it as a necessity. I still will tell them to get all their tires changed out with our mechanic, then I go in at the end of the day and pay for the lot. I’m not rich; I’ve just done enough testing and driving to know proper tires are one of the top three ways to prevent collisions, up there with a sober, non-distracted driver who is driving according to conditions.
When I see the results of that survey, I like to think the message is getting across.