By CRM Staff
Toronto, Ontario — November 8, 2018 — Canadians will be better prepared for this year’s winter driving conditions, according to the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada.
Results from a recent survey conducted by the association showed that 76 percent of Canadian motorists are now using winter tires, a ten percent increase from last year’s number.
The survey also discovered that 80 percent of winter tire owners believe that driving a vehicle equipped with winter tires has saved them from being involved in a potentially hazardous driving situation.
“Canadian drivers who have embraced winter tires have spoken and provided this very telling insight,” says Glenn Maidment, President of TRAC. “They confirmed what we already know—that the superior performance of winter tires has a place in Canada, and that their greater grip and significantly shorter stopping distances on all cold-weather road surfaces keep Canadians safer on winter roads.”
The rise in winter tire usage is reflected by the increase in tire shipments across the nation, which has grown at a rate of four percent over the past five years.
According to the TRAC, the top motivations for Canadians buying winter tires include: winter tire laws (34 percent), family and friend advice (17 percent) and positive media coverage (seven percent).
“At 17 per cent, advice from family and friends represents a major driver when it comes to drivers switching to winter tires,” says Maidment. “So, we can effectively link the increases in winter tire utilization directly with people sharing their positive experience with winter tires.”
Aside from Quebec, where it is enforced by law to have winter tires, Atlantic Canada had the highest winter tire usage at 94 percent. Manitoba and Saskatchewan came in at the lowest usage rate of 60 percent, while Ontario and British Columbia remained in the middle at 69 and 60 percent respectively.
The most common reasons for why some drivers still resist using winter tires are: the belief that all-season-tires provide enough traction (53 percent), cost (18 percent) and reducing driving in winter (15 percent).
For more information on the survey visit tracanada.ca.
