Northern BC has seen the mercury rise above zero degrees in February, but Road Safety at Work BC is reminding Northern drivers it’s not time to swap out the winter tires just yet.
In Northern BC, winter tires are required on most highways between October 1st and April 30th.
Program Coordinator at Road Safety at Work BC Louise Yako says winter tires should be a matching set of four.
“Hopefully, they’re already on their cars now since we are still in February,” Yako said.
“Those winter tires should have the three peak mountain and snowflake mark on them so you know they are truly winter tires.”
Yako adds that all-season tires are also acceptable, but don’t perform as well in weather below 7 degrees Celsius.
“Traction may be the difference between safely driving on roads and being involved in a serious crash,” Yako said.
In addition, Yako says people should ‘know before they go’ when traveling in BC.
“Check DriveBC for updated road and weather conditions,” Yako said.
“If the road and weather conditions are poor, they should either try and postpone their trip or cancel their trip. If they are still going out, they should have a winter driving emergency kit in their vehicle. Drivers should prepare themselves and know the conditions they’re going to be driving with. If they are driving for work, they should make sure they follow their safe work procedures and report any unsafe conditions they may see to their supervisor.”
More information on this and other winter driving topics is available on shiftintowinter.ca