If politicians have their way, winter tires won't become mandatory in Newfoundland and Labrador.
So says a report by the CBC, which points out at that the provincial vehicle fleet is equipped with winter rubber.
The CBC report said that in 2008, Newfoundland and Labrador considered following Quebec, which had moved to make winter tires mandatory for residents. But after years of study and debate, Service NL Minister Paul Davis now says the province won’t make that move.
The report noted that, “cars and SUVs used by provincial government employees are all equipped with snow tires – in many cases, studded tires.”
“’We supply winter tires for our vehicles for our employees who are out in all kinds of weather conditions…conducting the business of government,’” Davis said in the report.
“Davis is a former media relations police officer with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary,” the CBC report said. “He says he knows snow tires are safer than the all-season variety. But now that he's in government, he has to weigh other factors.
“’We know from the information that we've gathered, that in the age group of 65 and over, the people who don't regularly use their vehicle for going back and forth to work on a daily basis, they'll plan their trips around good driving conditions, good road conditions, and daylight hours,’ Davis said.
“’The question, then, is do we require those people to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to drive very short distances in relatively good driving conditions?’” the minister said.