Winter weather is just around the corner, and drivers need to be prepared for snowy and icy conditions.
Motorists are required to have winter tires or carry suitable chains from Oct. 1 to April 30 while travelling on highways designated with winter travel signs.
The best way to prepare is to equip your vehicle with good winter tires, identified with a mountain snowflake symbol that appears on the tire sidewalls.
While winter tires are not mandatory, there are many routes which regularly experience severe winter conditions.
On these routes, winter tires or chains are mandatory and signs are posted to warn drivers.
A map of the designated highways where motorists must have winter tires or chains can be found at th.gov.bc.ca/SeasonalDriving/winter_chains.html
In light of changing technology, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure will review the existing definition of winter tires and chains as part of the highway speed and safety review that is underway.
While this review is ongoing, the police will continue with past practice of allowing either tires with a mountain snowflake symbol or an M+S designation on highways where winter tires are required, as long as they are in good condition with a minimum tread depth of 3.5 mm.
