Road safety: experts compare winter and all-weather tires

It’s a common dilemma for drivers, should I buy all-weather tires or winter tires? Many people choose the all-weathers for cost and convenience, but in the wake of a massive car accident on Friday, it begs the question, should winter tires be mandatory in Manitoba?

“The all-seasons and all weathers do last longer, but the winter tires just give you so much better traction in the winter time,” explained Zach Clark, sales and services at Kal Tire.

“Not knowing if there’s ice or not ice on that road, you can’t tell half the time especially when it’s dark out stuff like that, so I would say, going isn’t a big issue, it’s stopping.”

Ron Janzen, the president and CEO of Safety Services Manitoba adds, “Automotive shops, mechanic shops, tire shops, insurance companies, MPI, and road safety trainers and providers like Safety Services Manitoba, we all have a strong consensus that winter tires are absolutely worth it and very important equipment in climates like Manitoba for sure.”

MPI does offer a winter tire program, providing financing opportunities to entice customers, but they aren’t mandatory. Authorities in Winnipeg say that while it would create complications enforcing such rules, they would welcome it if it meant safer roads.

“As you’re aware there are a couple of jurisdictions in Canada that have a law in place now like Quebec and British Columbia. In Manitoba, we don’t currently have one, but we’re of the opinion that every law that increases road safety for all Manitobans we’re going to support, and that including adding additional safety equipment for vehicles, which would be winter tires for operating in those winter seasons,” said Sgt. Paul Deacon, with the traffic division of the Winnipeg Police Service.

While it is perfectly legal to opt for all seasons, experts say that the convenience may not be worth the safety risk.

“I would always recommend winter tires, studded winter tires at the most.  There are so many different kinds of winter tires. They’re cheaper brands, and that doesn’t mean they’re bad, it means they probably won’t last as long as a better tire, they’re still going to give you traction because they still have to pass all the tests for the snowflake rating. So even a cheaper winter tire is still better than the best all-season tire,” said Clark.