A new consumer study has found that 80% of winter tire owners believe driving a vehicle equipped with winter tires has saved them from a potentially hazardous driving situation such as loss of control or a collision. This survey was commissioned by the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada (TRAC).

“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.”

TRAC’s 2018 Canadian Consumer Winter Tire Study also found that 76% of Canadian motorists now use winter tires. Excluding Quebec, where winter tires are required by law, winter tire usage stands at 71%. Last year’s study found 61% of drivers were using winter tires outside Quebec.

The top motivations for purchasing winter tires are motived by: winter tire laws (34%); advice from family and friends (17%); lower auto insurance premiums (11%), and positive media coverage (seven percent).

“At 17%, 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 utilisation directly with people sharing their positive experience with winter tires.”