LANDET RUNDT (Nettavisen): On Tuesday, Norwegian motorists received an unwelcome message from the insurance companies: The prices of car insurance must be raised.
The explanation from Gjensidige is this:
– Slippery roads, more rescue operations and more damage to the cars – and all the damage will be more expensive to repair with more advanced cars, said Berit Nilsen in Gjensidige to DN.
Studded tires are safer
The case has revived the annual question of whether more people should use studded tyres, in a country where ice on the road is a major problem in almost the entire country.
Today it is the case that the spiked tire consumption is sky high north of Trondheim, while extremely few people use it in the areas around Oslo and where studded tire users have to pay a separate fee. There is also a separate fee in Bergen and Trondheim.
Studded tires are not a question if you live in an area where there is a lot of snow and cold. Studless tires often do just as good – or a better job – on snow. Studded tires are primarily useful on ice.
Or put another way: They are useful when the road is actually dangerous.
In recent years, there have been many cases of periods of heavy snow, followed by rain and lower temperatures. As a result, ice soles have built up on many roads, making it extremely slippery.
In addition, temperature fluctuations above and below zero degrees create the most challenging driving conditions. The worst thing is that small amounts of water that freeze on the asphalt turn into “black ice” – an invisible film of ice.
In a response to the Storting last year, transport minister Jon-Ivar Nygård (Ap) reported that studded tires helped to reduce the risk of accidents – although according to him the effect was “modest”.
– Should have been required
The retired ambulance driver Knut Tveiten has been fighting for more studded tires for ten years, and believes that a mandate is something that should be in place for studded tires – especially in coastal areas.
– This winter has been particularly demanding, with so much snow and a lot of steel ice under the snow. The matter of progress and “traction” is more relevant than ever. It is important to be able to both stop and steer, he says to Nettavisen.
He does not buy the claim that security is only slightly better:
– In my career, I have been busy looking at the tyres. I can hardly remember a traffic accident in the winter with studded tires, although it certainly happens.
He refers to the tire manufacturers’ own figures from winter testing. For example, Nokian talks about the braking distance on ice at just 50 km/h increasing by 17 meters (40 per cent) with good studless tyres, compared to studded tyres.
– Those are enormous numbers. Why doesn’t Norway want to take it on, it creates a lot of dangerous situations, not least in Oslo with smooth-polished roads, he says.
– It is complete madness, he adds.
– You don’t buy stingers with rubber
Tveiten does not buy the argument that studless tires are about as good in all situations other than on really smooth roads.
– It is on that line that you really need a good grip. It has been particularly clear this winter.
– Just think: “Everyone” has bought spiked shoes or spikes this winter, it’s not like you buy spikes with rubber underneath. You have to have steel, that’s just the way it is, he asserts.
He believes that insurance companies should give discounts to those who use studded tyres.
– They agree that it would have saved insurance payments, but it would be “politically incorrect” for them to say so, as studded tires are portrayed as an environmental disaster. But it is the case that if you have a lower frequency of injuries, you should be rewarded for that. In the same way that those who live within the ring in Oslo have to pay more because there is a greater chance of something happening there, than if you live in Arendal where nothing ever happens. It reflects the insurance sums, he says.
Studded tires are important for the safety of all motorists
In addition to the fact that studded tires are far more effective on ice, the experts are clear that studless tires only work optimally if a significant proportion use studded tyres.
Somewhere between 20 and 40 percent studded tire proportion is what is considered optimal for creating winter conditions. In Oslo, it is far below 10 percent.
What then happens is that the road is “polished” by the studless tyres, and becomes extra smooth.
– We have run a number of tire tests on ice. Then we depend on having even conditions. Then we see that if we have 50/50, then the studded tires manage to plow up the ice so that the conditions are better. It may well be 60 per cent spike-free, we can tolerate that, but we are much higher now, says senior advisor Kjell Magne Aalbergsjø at the Information Council for Road Traffic (OFV).
Transport Minister Nygård also admits this – but it is also the problem itself:
– Studded tires have a positive effect for roughening up snow, ice and asphalt, but increase wear on the asphalt, which leads to problems with a lot of road dust and poor air quality, large rut development and shorter tire life, Nygård reported.
He says that the Swedish Road Administration is working to find more durable asphalt surfaces to reduce the inconvenience, but it is not easy.
– Certain stone materials with particularly good wear resistance are also more easily polished by traffic, says Nygård.
Clear message: Your responsibility
Communications manager Sigmund Clementz at the insurance company If is aware that motorists have to take this responsibility themselves.
– The Road Traffic Act and the Vehicle Regulations apply. It says that you must be properly dressed for weather and driving conditions. Without exception, it is your responsibility to have the right tires on the car you are driving. You can’t blame anyone else.
– Someone might want to blame studded tire tax?
– Yes, we see that very few people in the Oslo area have studded tyres. This also applies to many of the other large cities around the Oslofjord, Southern Norway and Western Norway.
– The vast majority of people only have one set of winter tyres, and then most choose based on where they drive the most. But if you have a cabin in the mountains, and you have a tire that you have to climb up, then perhaps it will be most natural for you to choose studded tyres, even if you live in an area where most people choose winter tires without studs.
Another problem is the typical experience if you drive on winding county roads, where it is smooth and fine most of the way – but suddenly very smooth just before shaded turns. Then it can go straight ahead.
– It’s typical, and then only a little energy helps. And if you drive on such roads, then my advice is that maybe studded tires are right for you, and bite the bullet and pay the studded tire fee.
Assess yourself
Clementz also says that temperature fluctuations are nothing new.
– For the few days when it is really slippery on the municipal roads, it is a bit of a step backwards into the future to say that more people have to buy studded tyres, because there are many other measures that can be taken. Not least this applies to road maintenance where action can be taken.
Gjensidige is also concerned that people must assess for themselves:
– What we are concerned about is that motorists have very good tire equipment, whether it is studded or not. This choice must be up to each individual motorist to assess, and not something we should interfere in, says communications manager Bjarne Aani Rysstad to Nettavisen.
– It is extremely important that the winter maintenance is good
NAF’s communications advisor Nils Sødal believes that studless tires are at least as good except on “klink ice”, and is more concerned that the maintenance of the roads must be improved:
– Polishing of snow mostly happens in areas that are salted. When snow settles on top of the brine, it becomes a kind of slush which makes the conditions very slippery and braking and acceleration lead to polished snow.
– With the winter we are in now with a lot of snowy weather, it is extremely important that the winter maintenance of the roads is good. In addition, as motorists, we all have a responsibility to assess whether we absolutely have to go out and drive when it is at its smoothest. It might be a good idea to think about when the snow comes down and the driving conditions are difficult, he says.
2024-02-22 23:11:00
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