(photo: Phil Carpenter/The Gazette Dec 17th) I haven't seen this much snow fall prior to January 1st, actually make that the 2nd, since I was very young back in the 1980's.
I moved to Nova Scotia, more precisely Beaverbank, in 1991 when my family moved from Regina. Prior to that we had lived in Ontario so the winters I began to experience in Nova Scotia were miserable compared to winters further west in Canada. Certainly not because of the amount of snow but because of the type of snow and the weather patterns that accompany it.
I moved to Nova Scotia, more precisely Beaverbank, in 1991 when my family moved from Regina. Prior to that we had lived in Ontario so the winters I began to experience in Nova Scotia were miserable compared to winters further west in Canada. Certainly not because of the amount of snow but because of the type of snow and the weather patterns that accompany it.
In Nova Scotia, especially close to the ocean as I am in Dartmouth, we usually experience some heavy snow, followed by freezing rain, followed by rain, followed by slushy driving and walking for a couple of days. In December, this has seemed to be the pattern every two to three days. As if people didn't already complain about the winter weather!! Now it seems like the conversations repeat themselves as often as the bad weather.
I often have News 95.7 on my car stereo because of the sports coverage they offer especially in the evening hours. When I drive to school in the morning, I'll probably catch the local news and a sports update. Since I've been off for the Christmas holidays and doing plenty of errands and running around during the daytime hours, I've listened in on a couple of talk shows hosted by either Tom Young or Andrew Crystal, both whom I can only listen to in small doses.
On one of the shows, the topic du jour or maybe the topic de semaine has been whether or not winter tires should be made mandatory in Nova Scotia. The "lucky" listeners get to hear the host's opinion, the tire dealer, the scared driver, the overconfident driver, the "I want to hear my voice on the radio despite the fact that I haven't really thought through what I want to say Caller". Well..I suppose I may be guilty of that at times here on the Bloggopotamus but it's always worse when I hear someone else do it I think. Anyway....back to the winter tire issue.
Mandatory??!!?? Are you kidding me? The best you can or should do is recommend or suggest. Why make them mandatory when they are not needed? I did not say they were not beneficial nor helpful. Of course they are, they are designed for better performance in winter driving conditions and their "track" record is proven and tested. This sort of mandate however is ridiculous. I have never had snow tires for my car (VW Golf) and have never been in an accident. The VW Golf handles very well and I consider myself to be a very competent driver in all weather conditions. I have all-season tires on my car....that's what they are designed for...all seasons. They are not "summer tires"...they are all season. There was some confusion on the radio show when many callers including the host at one point was indicating there were two type of tires, winter and summer. Not correct!
If people can afford winter tires or people feel the need to put winter tires on their vehicle, then they should. I'm well aware that some vehicles function poorly in the snow compared to others and should be taken into consideration. Not all cars "need" winter tires though. There is little doubt that snow tires can help in winter driving conditions but accidents are usually due to driver error. Driving too fast, driving too slow, driving too close, taking too many risks, etc.
I don't know whether the debate over mandating winter tires came from anything credible at all and perhaps it was just a question posed by the producer/host to stimulate discussion or debate.
Either way, it has sparked some discussion, enough to even have me comment on the topic so it has had some impact. My final thoughts...Mandate? No!! Suggest? Yes!
Safe driving!!
2 comments:
It is easy to blame drivers for accidents: going too fast for conditions, not leaving enough stopping room, or not learning how to correct a skid. It is always the driver’s fault. But what about the car?
Many tire sellers give bad advice, saying the better tires should always go on the front. In fact, the better tires should go on the light end. Many cars have very uneven weight distribution, with good tires located in the wrong place.
The most unbalanced cars have four times the number of accidents that other cars do. On some cars, simply rotating tires front to rear can double the chance of a loss-of- control accident. Some cars that feel the safest with all the weight on the front have the most fatalities.
What if rally and ice race drivers that endorse tires had to share the track with transport trucks and moose? Some tires and tire arrangements can limit stopping and steering in bad conditions.
What if car handling tests were be done by the professionals with three kids in the car and one ice cream cone, one water pistol, and one nerf bat? A moment's distraction can be critical when driving an unstable car.
Understanding, choosing, installing, and maintaining safety equipment such as tires requires drivers to attend to their equipment as they are supposed to attend to driving carefully.
If you cannot brake and steer going down hill at the same time and if you are afraid to plow through a ridge of slush to avoid oncoming traffic then you need to find a tire seller that understands weight distribution and how to correct it with traction balance.
It is true that winter tires are important while you are driving in the snow...
winter tyres
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