– Since the obligation to fasten seat belts has been introduced – i.e. the post-crash situations have been regulated, why has the causes of these collisions not yet been addressed? Almost 20-25% of them are related to tyres! In a situation where we influence our behavior on others and it may have catastrophic consequences due to the speed or weight of the car – there should be no freedom. It is very puzzling that the following dependencies are not connected in consciousness: driving in winter on tyres with winter approval – i.e. winter or all-season tyres – the probability of an accident is 46% lower, and the number of accidents drops by 4-5%! – points out Piotr Sarnecki, General Director of the Polish Tyre Industry Association (PTIA).
In Poland, we have the largest number of road casualties in the European Union. Introducing a clear driving period on winter or all-season tyres will reduce the number of accidents by more than 1,000 a year, not including bumps! Drivers and passengers will be safer and healthcare will be less busy. It is a simple statement that the governments of all countries around Poland understand. We are the only country in Europe with such a climate where there is no regulation in this matter. Even southern countries with much warmer climates – such as Slovenia, Croatia or Spain – have such regulations. This is even more strange when we look at the research – as many as 82% of active drivers support the introduction of a requirement to drive on winter or all-season tyres in the winter period. So what is standing in the way of these regulations? How many more we will see accidents and huge traffic jams in the winter caused by this omission.
In all countries that require winter tyres, this also includes all-season tyres. Only the introduction of a statutory requirement for tyres with winter approval can curb the recklessness of some drivers who drive in the middle of winter on summer tyres.
In 29 European countries that have introduced the requirement to drive winter tyres, there has been an average 46% reduction in the probability of a road accident compared to driving summer tyres in winter conditions – these are the conclusions of the European Commission study of selected aspects of tyre use related to safety[3]. This report also proved that introducing a legal requirement to drive on winter-approved tyres reduces the number of fatal accidents by 3% – and this is just an average as there are countries that have seen a 20% drop in accidents.
– Driving carefully is not enough. We are not alone on the road. So what if we go well and safely, if others don't. And they can run into us because they won't have time to brake on a slippery road. There should be no such freedom in a situation when we influence our behavior on others and it can have catastrophic consequences due to the speed or weight of the car. Everyone rationalizes differently why they have not changed their tyres in December or January yet. For someone, it's time for winter tyres only when it is snowing ankle-deep or it is -5 degrees C. Someone else will say that he only drives around the city, so he will ride winter tyres with a 2 mm tread. These are all very dangerous situations – ads Piotr Sarnecki.
Why does introducing such a requirement change everything? Because drivers have a clearly defined deadline and do not have to ask whether to change tyres or not yet. In Poland, this weather date is December 1. Since then, temperatures throughout the country are below 5-7 degrees C – and this is the limit when good grip of summer tyres ends.
Summer tyres do not provide adequate adhesion of the car even on a dry road at temperatures below 7ºC - then the rubber compound in their tread hardens, which deteriorates the grip, especially on wet, slippery roads. The braking distance is lengthened and the ability to transmit torque to the road surface is significantly reduced[4]. The rubber compound of the tread of winter and all-season tyres is softer, and thanks to silica, it does not harden at lower temperatures. This means that they do not lose elasticity and have better grip than summer tyres in cold weather, even on a dry road, in rain, and especially on snow.
Recordings from Auto Express and RAC tests on winter tyres[5] show how much tyres adequate to the temperature, humidity and slippery surface help the driver to control the vehicle and confirm the difference between winter and summer tyres – not only on snowy roads, but also on wet roads while cool autumn and winter temperatures:
Remember that approved winter and all-season tyres are those with the so-called alpine symbol – snowflake on mountain background. The M + S symbol, which can still be found on the tyres, is only a description of the suitability of the tread for mud and snow, however, it is given discretionally by tyre manufacturers. Tyres with M + S alone, but without the snow flake symbol on the mountain, lack the softer winter rubber compound - which is crucial in cold conditions. A self-contained M + S without an Alpine symbol means that the tyre is neither a winter nor an all-season tyre.
[1] Moto Data Research, Research of cars’ users, 2020
[2] Research of Nokian, https://www.nokiantyres.com/company/news-article/new-study-many-european-drivers-drive-on-unsuitable-tyres/
[3] European Commission, Study on some safety-related aspects of tyre use, https://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/sites/roadsafety/files/pdf/vehicles/study_tyres_2014.pdf
[4] K. Waluś, „Experimental tests of the hardness of summer car tyres in real ambient temperatures”, Mechanic 12/2013 – Attachement 4
[5] Winter Tyres v Summer Tyres: the Truth! - Auto Express, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elP_34ltdWI
Source: Polish Tyre Industry Association