Late last fall, the Rubber Association of Canada participated in a review of the literature on the effectiveness and use of winter tires.
The Canadian tire industry will soon see the fruits of that project, according to RAC president Glenn Maidment.
In a report to RAC members, Maidment said, the report should be completed in January. “The project, funded by members of the Winter Driving Coalition, of which RAC is a member, was prepared by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), which conducted a review of all the known literature about winter tires and their effect on road safety.
“TIRF is a national, independent, not-for-profit road safety institute that has become internationally recognized for its accomplishments in a wide range of subject areas related to identifying the causes of road crashes, and developing programs and policies to address them,” he reported.
“The objective of the study is to compile and review available information and develop a current state of knowledge regarding the efficacy of winter tires and their potential effects on traffic safety. This was pursued using a thorough review and analysis of existing domestic and international research and an environmental scan for relevant winter tire information.
“The report contains a description of the methodology used to conduct a review of the literature on winter tire use as well as a brief survey among members of the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators. Sources that were analyzed in the literature review are categorized by the nature of the study (i.e., experimental studies, epidemiological collision studies, and reviews already conducted on the available literature on winter tire use). Relevant findings from other sources such as public opinion polls and websites, bulletins, newsletters, newspaper and magazine articles have also been reviewed.”
