Experts urge B.C. drivers to prepare vehicles for winter conditions

With colder weather on the way, experts are reminding drivers to prepare their vehicles, especially when it comes to having the right tires.

With colder weather on the way, driving experts are urging motorists to ensure their vehicles are equipped with proper winter tires, saying the right set can significantly improve control and stopping distance.

Dan Guilfoyle, a driving instructor at the Justice Institute of B.C., demonstrated the impact during a series of tests Wednesday on a closed track in Pitt Meadows. Reporters were put through several braking and handling exercises using two vehicles—one fitted with all-season tires and another with winter tires.

“That winter tire is going to give you the best vehicle control, the best acceleration from a stop, the best braking,” Guilfoyle said.

He noted that once temperatures fall below 7 C, all-season tires begin to lose their effectiveness. During the demonstration, the difference in performance between the two tire types was immediately noticeable, especially when bringing vehicles to a stop from 50 and 60 km/h.

“A lot of people run with the all-seasons, the mud and snows, they are not going to have the same vehicle control,” he said.

“A lot of people think, well 10, 15 kilometres over the posted limit, not a big deal,”

“The reality is in certain weather conditions—wet roads, ice, snow—that’s a massive difference,” he said.

Guilfoyle added that even a small change in stopping distance can determine “the difference between stopping before an accident or actually colliding with the vehicle in front of you.”

Officials continue to remind drivers to slow down, prepare their vehicles for winter and follow posted speed limits as conditions deteriorate.