Do Winter Tyres Work?

Although snow hasn't hit the UK yet this year it's getting near the time when you would expect it to start threatening.

As such winter tyres and the need for them is becoming a hot topic among the autopress and for myself. I suppose the problem is that when it snows it gets slippery, well ice is the big killer. I recall last year, whilst pulling out of my housing estate, the rear of my car going walkies in the middle of a corner. An unintentional drift is what you might call it as I held it beautifully. In any case driving on icey roads with normal tyres isn't something you want to consider doing to often.

But do winter tyres actually do anything? Well yes apparently they do. Although I can't find the official survey into snow covered road accidents (yes there is such a thing) I have been told that under 10% of accidents on the snow covered roads last year involved cars that had been fitted with winter tyres. Road testers too have often said how much more control they have with winter tyres fitted. Apparently last year they were so effective that Autocar didn't have much trouble running their BMW, a rear wheel drive car.

Despite that until now insurers didn't seem to want to acknowledge this. In fact if you stated you'd had winter tyres fitted your insurance premium would go up. Apparently the insurers saw it as a message you were planning on driving no matter what and were therefore more likely to crash. This has changed this year as no longer will insurance premiums go up.

To sum up then, you have absolutely nothing to lose but almost certainly a lot to gain. Winter tyres? No brainer if you ask me.

Thankyou for reading and I do hope to see you again soon.