Tyres are the single biggest problem with vehicles driving in the UK winter time. As a nation in general we seem oblivious to the fact that there is a huge part of the tyre market dedicated to winter tyres. In many European countries having winter tyres fitted to your car for 5 months of the year is law. Failure to do so can result in prosecution and render your insurance null and void. In the UK, we as a nation try to tackle whatever the winter throws at us using totally unsuitable tyres, often with horrific consequences.  

We at EFP Gritting believe that everyone should wherever possible be fitting winter tyres to their vehicle at the beginning of November and not removing them until the end of March. These tyres can be bought in almost any size/fitment from most reputable tyre fitting centres and can be fitted to your existing wheels, or to a ‘spare set’ of wheels making them your dedicated winter wheels/tyres. Many European motorists operate this system having their winter tyres fitted to a cheap set of steel wheels that are simply stored during the summer months. Our winter motoring accident statistics would be greatly reduced by us all taking this basic safety precaution and it would probably be the biggest single step in improving the way we cope with the winter snow and ice. Even the initial idea that this is a large extra cost is counteracted by the fact that when you are using your winter tyres you are obviously not wearing out your normal tyres and who can put a value on the fact that you have ‘bought’ yourself a far greater level of personal safety.