ERJ staff report (LMH)
London - A government report into the harsh weather conditions in winter 2010 and their effect on transport in the UK has thrown up some interesting points about winter tyres.
The report by the House of Commons Transport Committee made reference to a number of surveys carried out by different groups related to the transport industry.
An AA winter driving/gritting survey undertaken between 26 Nov and 3 Dec 2010 asked respondents what they had done to prepare for winter driving and what the government and authorities should do to keep the UK moving when it snows.
Out of the 15 927 respondents, 44 percent had done nothing to prepare for severe conditions. Of those who had prepared, only 3 percent bought winter tyres, despite 14 percent of total respondents saying they supported the introduction of mandatory winter tyres.
A survey by the Freight Transport Association of its members noted that of those who responded 7 percent currently use winter tyres in their operations. Members reported that winter tyres cost around 20% more to purchase. Of those who said they currently do not fit winter tyres, the main factors preventing their use were fitting costs (downtime for swapping tyres over) and storage costs of tyres not in use, as well as greater tyre wear rates for winter tyres.
In the report, FTA said it believes that it should remain an operational decision on whether to fit winter tyres, rather than it being required under legislation. An example was given of Germany, where winter tyre legislation is in place, and where a winter tyre order was invoked on 4 Dec 2010. Fourteen dealers quickly ran out of stocks, pushing up winter tyre prices and creating disruption for operators over and above that resulting from the snow.
The report entitled “Keeping the UK moving: The impact on transport of the winter weather in December 2010†was carried out by the House of Commons Transport Committee and published on 12 May 2011.
This is an external link and should open in a new window. If the window does not appear, please check your pop-up blocking software. ERJ is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Report from House of Commons Transport Committee
