I get it—for some of you, having a set of winter tires means you have to find storage space for them, it's an added expense, and a chore to book the appointment to get them done. It's not fun. I understand. But we do live in Canada, it gets cold and we have SNOW! Some call that white gold!
Let's be clear on what has been proven—winter tires perform better than all-season tires in temperatures below 7 degrees Celsius. So for the nay-sayers out there, I will be blunt—it doesn't really matter what you believe or how skeptical you are, the fact is that you are taking a risk whenever you drive a vehicle with all-season or summer tires in our winter climate. It's amazing to me how many people still don't have winter tires. This is part of the cost of driving in our country, it's going to be part of your auto maintenance budget. Let's say the average set of winter tires is about $800. If you don't have winter tires now, start budgeting for it now. Put away $89 a month and you can purchase a set of winter tires at the end of October. Remember, this is the cost of owning a car in our climate.
I recently spoke with a healthcare provider and she told me that she didn't believe in winter tires. I then asked, what if I didn't believe in doing stretches or drinking 2L (eight 8oz glasses) of fluid a day? After all, I am physically functioning just fine. She laughed because she knew that the benefits of regularly stretching and drinking enough fluid have been proven. What I believe has no bearing on the truth.
The big difference between the examples that I gave and the issue of driving with winter tires is that if I don't take care of my body, I am the one to suffer in the long haul. If you don't take care of your car, you are a liability to everyone else on the road. What seems to escape many drivers is that once you're behind the wheel, you are now operating a very powerful machine. Take that responsibility seriously!
What do you think, should winter tires be legally mandatory across Canada?
Need more help with buying winter tires? Check out "Winter Tires: What To Look For" and "Thinking Of Getting Winter Tires?"
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