OK, so I get my snow tires put on, ready to meet the challenges of winter. Yet, how can I feel safe when so many fucking stupid knobs out there drive on bald all-seasons? A taxi driver I know refuses to changes his shitty tires for the winter and I’m sure many people do because of the cost. However, if your piece of shit rustbucket slams into mine, I’m fucked even though I’m prepared. Snow tires should be mandatory in winter. This is a safety issue. Now, just watch the news tonight and see how many stupid arseholes are out there are sliding around, crashing into other cars and landing in ditches. —Sick of Unprepared Spinning Assholes
This article appears in Nov 17-23, 2011.
It’s not just about having snow/winter tires, OP. Put a tit behind the wheel and they’re still a tit. ’tis the unfortunate truth.
i didn’t see too many igloo cars today, they are the worst
I was waiting for one of these bitches. If they can’t afford winter tires then they shouldn’t have a car to start with.
When I looked out the window I saw people driving very careful and usually people speed on the street I can look at. OP its not our fault most are too stupid to get winter tires. Just do your best to avoid the dummies. Glad there is some who realize how important winter tires are.
Op,agreed. Buy good tires, and look somewhere else to save money.
Ok, I agree that winter tires are a must. However, may I be so bold as to point out that it’s not technically “winter” yet? Also, we don’t usually get any snow until after Christmas, so I can definitely forgive many drivers out there who don’t have their winter tires on yet. Furthermore, this week it’s been impossible to get an appointment to get tires put on.
One more: some people need to drive their cars around for work (not to get to work but during the work day) and are living paycheck to paycheck and might not be able to afford winter tires at the moment.
So cut some people some slack, alright?
Growing up, my dad never used winter tires. We used all-season and he always got us where we were going safely. He’s been driving for 40 years+ and never used winter tires. Dad says they are a cash grab and can’t make a bad driver safe. The secret is to reduce speed and drive with caution, I agree with him. I don’t think I’m going to spend hundreds of dollars for a fake security blanket when I buy my own car. If you think any tire “sticks to ice” then I’ve got some swampland in Florida for you!
I totally agree OB. On a good note, every car that I passed that was slipping and sliding, I simply gave them a long horn honk as I flew by them. Gotta love winter tires. Hope those fucks enjoy their insurance claims.
this is all part of winter o.p., and as such, you have to watch a little bit more closely the other driver. maybe you never had an accident before, but if you have, then be very wary of the first snow.
most idiots thin that all season tires work in all seasons, nope, dea wrng, you or me, because of it. there are specialized tires for winter driving called” gasp”, snow tires. then there are ice and snow, which has softer rubber compounds, which grip road better. then there are the all season tires, or as i called them” dummy skins”.
Lisababe dear, do you own a car? I’ll prove winter tires are better that all-season. Let’s go find a big empty parking lot, drive around and see who has better traction & control.
BTW, we used to have snow that ‘stayed’, in Oct. Nope….no climate change here.
I got winter tires free when I got my car a year ago. That’s some cash grab lol
There are plenty of people who have snow tires on their cars who end up in ditches. It’s the people who have said snow tires and drive like they are on a bare road. So suck it up and live on.
I concur, OP.
Comments like Lisababe’s make me facepalm (it doesn’t even sound like you actually drive – yet you’re the expert on snow tires?)…I don’t know why this belief persists. Many tests have shown that even the cheapest Walmart-quality snow tires yield a shorter braking distance in icy conditions than “good” all-season tires. They’re made of different rubber compounds better suited for different temperature ranges, different thread patterns, etc. If you don’t “believe in the myth of winter tires”, try to go up a steep hill when the road is icy with your balding all-seasons. Then put on a set of Michelin Arctic Alpin and try again: We’ll see what you think about winter tires then. They DO stick to the ice.
If more people “believed” in snow tires here, it wouldn’t feel like it’s the fucking snow-pocalypse in this province whenever we get a measly 6 inches of snow.
All seasons are a waste of money. If I drive carefully enough, I can get by with bald summer tires. I know lots of people that consider all seasons a cash grab. Some of them slip and slide but most have never been in an accident.
/sarcasm
Seriously, I think this is an issue of safety, yet most of us look at the money side of it only. Some of us see it as a cash grab, some of us see it as money well spent. I say that there is nothing wrong with saving money, by why not find some where else to save your money?
The same can be said for the complete opposite of the spectrum. I can’t STAND these idiotic assholes who are lulled into this false sense of security because they drive an SUV or 4×4 and think that they can pretty much drive however and where ever they fucking please. (I’m not lumping all SUV/4×4 drivers together. I have an SUV and most drivers I see appear to have some good common sense, driving for the conditions) I’m talking about the ones who INSIST on driving like it’s the middle of July, 10-20 km/h over the limit when the roads are snow covered and treacherous. The speed limit is how fast you can drive when the roads are clear/dry, not when they have 1.5 feet of snow, ice and slush on them. Slow the hell down. The ones who INSIST on trying to drive in the closed lanes of muli-lane highways, risking their lives, and more importantly, MINE, because they are too important and have things to do and therefore, shouldn’t have to wait in line like the rest of us. But, what do YOU care, right? You have an SUV/4×4. You’re invincible. Hey dickhead! We ain’t on the road in a blinding snowstorm for shits and giggles. We ALL have someplace we have to be. And yeah, I know there are 2 lanes there and under normal driving conditions, you’d be in the right, but if you’ll care to glance down at the road, you’ll notice that the plow has only cleared one of the lanes. (i.e. the one I’m in) Don’t be such an impatient fucking prick. You’ll get to where you have to go. Drive for the conditions and stop risking MY life.
Lisababe, I think that you have no faith in how well winter tires work, so would you please consider the following:
Did you know that some provinces are considering making it illegal to put winter tires in the front of a car, and all seasons on the back? The reason is because the winter tires will work significantly better than the all seasons, leading to accidents where the vehicle fish tails or spins out of control.
I think its reasonable to say that winter tires work better than all seasons, and the evidence exists to support this claim. wouldn’t you?
——-
It’s not Winter yet
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And yet it snowed.
Dipschitt.
Lisababe has made the same comment as this one in a previous bitch. Yet all one has to do is look at the news. See all the cars off the road, over 60 reported fender benders.
yet I drove to & from yesterday with zero problem in my front wheel drive shit box car. stuck to the road like velcro on 4 studded winter tires.
Did you listen to the news last night Lisababe ?
Did you hear how ‘slow’ it was with the evening commute taking at least a half hour longer than usual…do you know why that was ???
It was for all the shit boxes in theeiree 3 season tires out on the road. THose tires are great on clear pavement, not so good when theerrrree’s a bit of slippery stuff on the road.
The difference between winter tires & 3 season tires, is something you need to experience. dere* is no comparison & dere* have been extensive tests to prove they are better handling. Better stopping & better starting ,,you know when your 3 season tires just spin on the slight incline your stopped vehicle can’t get moving on…so it causes traffic behind you to come to a stop & the next thing you know the bridges are barely moving, the police are closing access to highways, with access ramps that go up.
All because the deluded, go by heresay, by someone older than them…well my family tried that on me as well & that didn’t work either. Me I’m a go find out for yourself type, & what proves to work is what I go by, & it doesn’t matter how long someone else has done it differently.
Including Lisababe my dear old Dad, who happens to be like your dear old dad. He also never drives when the roads are like that (probably because he knows his 3 season tires just aren’t up to it…’til the plow goes by once or twice ~;)
Stop repeating yourself Wheelie!
Jennifer no. Absolutely not. If you can’t drive safely you shouldn’t drive at all. If you can’t afford to winterize your car for the kinds of winters we have here in canada (especially the wet and unpredictable ones we have in nova scotia) then take the bus for a few weeks until you can afford to winterize. If you can afford car payments and insurance, you’re not doing THAT badly. And if you are, might be time to consider another form of transportation until things pick up again.
may want to read up a bit….
http://www.greendiamondtire.com/
winter tires are just made completely differently.
“The secret is to slow your speed and drive with caution” So if someone with winter tires is stuck behind you on a city street, they have to go as slow as you even though they can safely go faster? Fair, that is not.
life’s not fair…
at least they aren’t the out-of-control asshole coming AT you in the other lane…
much safer behind them.
All seasons use the wrong type of rubber to be good in the winter.
All seasons are adequate for places that don’t get much snow. Halifax does not qualify as a place that doesn’t get much snow.
For those who call it a cash grab, have you ever though that while your winter tires are on, your summer tires don’t get any wear???? You alternate.. Its not like you’re throwing extra money at nothing. You get what you pay for and you get a bit more security for yourself and everyone around you.
People who don’t have winter tires on and then total their car have no place to complain. Last I checked, a totalled car costs more than a freakin set of tires. If you can’t buy a new set, check kijiji and buy them used or something. Its not that freaking hard and at the end of the day it might save you a lot more money and even your life.
I think anyone who’s in a bad accident because they have summer tires on and injures someone should be automatically sued for criminal negligence.
Be responsible…
does one get sued for criminal negligence or do they have to defend themselves from a jail sentence?
Criminal negligence is a criminal offence. However, you can sue the offender in civil court for negligence. Even if they get off in criminal court, they can get nailed in civil court. Of course winning a lawsuit and collecting are two different animals.
Criminal negligence can result anywhere between probation to life imprisonment depending on the circumstances. Causing Death up to life, bodily harm, a max of 10 years.
It’s the law in Quebec to have snow tires on your car after a certain date. I think it’d Dec 15th. So when you buy a car, snow tires must be included, or usually are, I dunno. I think that’s a great idea. Tires should be factored into the maintenance of a car. If you can’t afford tires you can’t afford a car. I was thanking the sweet lord I had my winters on driving all across the Maritimes through that Nor’easter the other day.
we were discussing this last night thomas. it is mandatory in quebec, but it probably goes hand in hand with insurance premiums
While I admit I’m one of those slack asses that don’t have their winter tires yet, I have to say that you should. All-seasons to me mean “all seasons except for winter”. I really do not know the benefit of them.
Winter tires give one grip and confidence that keeps them from being a liability on the road. Even with these tires, one should drive cautiously in snowy conditions.
As far as being mandatory to have winter tires on your car, I see the safety aspect of it but I hate being told how to live my life through legislation.
BTW, I won’t be driving the car on anything but clear pavement until we get the winters put on.