Garages and tyre retailers have been urged to promote the safety benefits of cold weather tyres in an effort to reduce the number of accidents on British roads this winter.
The advice comes from not-for-profit organisation TyreSafe which has campaigned about such issues for 15 years.
In some other European countries it is a legal offence not to switch to cold weather tyres during certain dates in the calendar. In the UK, it is open to discretion so TyreSafe is keen to point out that cold weather tyres have tread keys which allow them to grip road surfaces better.
Rob Beddis, TyreSafe chairman, said: "With temperatures frequently below 7C in the UK over the winter, particularly in rush hour when the traffic is at its heaviest, cold weather tyres offer a sensible alternative on the wet roads. They are designed to perform more effectively in cold, wet conditions, dramatically reducing stopping distances."
His words seem to be backed up by Department for Transport figures which show that slippery roads were the reason behind 55 per cent of road traffic accidents in which the road’s environment was a contributory factor in 2007.
Written by Trevor Coffee
