Winter tires, also referred to as snow tires, cold weather tires, and thermal tires, improve the road safety for vehicles during winter, and thus play an important role in reducing road accidents. These tires are made of soft rubber compared to the all-season or summer tires, which help achieve better grip during winters.
Furthermore, the newer generation of winter tires is designed with a more flexible rubber compound that is less prone to stiffening in colder temperatures. Its tread is designed to provide improved traction on wet, slushy, snowy, icy, and dry cold surfaces. Winter tires are fitted in sets of four, because fitting only a pair affects the balance and stability of the automobile. Winter tires are of three types: performance, studded, and non-studded.
Buyers prefer motoring magazine advice to less-understood winter tire labels. The adoption of the EU tire label in the second half of 2012 has resulted in the form of tire labels for all tires available for sale in the region. While tires have on them the mandated labels, drivers in the region have relatively little knowledge about the markings and their associated benefits.
According to the report, increase in awareness and concerns about passenger safety among customers, government, and automobile manufacturers is one of the major drivers of the Winter Tire market in France. The number of road accidents and casualties has been increasing year after year in France. Winter tires offer superior traction, better acceleration, improved braking efficiency, and enhanced stability compared to normal tires.
Further, the report states that there is a common misconception that all-season tires are suitable for all kinds of weather. However, all-season tires may not always be suitable for severe snow conditions because they do not have features such as cold weather rubber compounds, channeling tread patterns, a large number of tread slits in the tread blocks for wet surface control, and an open tread block pattern for deep snow traction, which can be seen in winter tires.
