ONTARIO: Safety expert says you shouldn't have to use winter tires, but you definitely should use them

KITCHENER - Over the next couple months, there will be a spike in dangerous driving conditions, as heavy snowfall quickly hardens into black ice.

President and CEO of the Ontario Safety League, Brian Patterson, tells The Mike Farwell Show on 570 NEWS that winter tires are worth the money and the time it takes to get them installed.

"One skid becomes a ding, then becomes a crash that could potentially hurt a pedestrian or create significant hardship. Why would you not avoid that for the cost of winter tires? It just doesn't make any sense."

Patterson says drivers have a common misconception about the effectiveness of all-season tires during Canadian winter.

"All-seasons are for all the seasons in Georgia -- not to be confused with the all-weather tires, that is all year 'round. It's only been in the market for about five years, and they are just as effective in the winter as they are in the summer."

The province of Ontario provides mandatory insurance discounts for winter tires.

But Patterson doesn't believe we should make it mandatory for vehicles to have winter tires.

"We've got some great incentives in place right now. So you should want to have winter tires on and put them on because you understand the safety ... not because there's some potential risk of getting a ticket."

Patterson says every year, you should aim to get your winter tires installed before Remembrance Day.

- KitchenerToday.com/Rogers Media