By Adam Donnelly

Kamloops drivers begin changing tires ahead of October 1st deadline

Sep 29, 2017 | 4:13 PM

KAMLOOPS — With the days getting significantly shorter, and temperatures dropping into the single digits overnight, it won’t be long until winter is upon us. Every year, it seems there’s a rush for people to switch from summer to winter tires, especially if they’re planning to drive on any of the highways in the interior of the province.

“When it comes to the winter tires, it depends on what area of the province you live,” Sgt. Mike Pears explained. “In our area, in the Interior of British Columbia here, where we have the Coquihalla Highway and other mountain passes, strongly recommend that people go to a tire shop and talk to them about the needs for tires. The best winter tires out there are the ones that have the snowflake with the mountain backdrop on them.”

With the October 1st deadline to have the proper tires installed on their vehicles, people are flocking to local tire shops to make the change.

“The last few weeks have been very busy, especially with the temperature drop,” Integra Tire owner Alan Hay told CFJC Today.

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Located on Notre Dame Drive, Integra sees a huge rush of customers looking to make that change at this time of year. Hay says even though there’s no snow yet, there’s a good reason to get those winter tires on.

“It’s more of a temperature based thing,” Hay explained. “Once temperatures start dropping below 7 degrees [Celsius] the all=seasons don’t work as well… so a winter tire will stay soft and flexible at colder temperatures, where an all-season will harden up, so the siping doesn’t work as well.”

While penalties for motorists caught driving with improper tires can range from fines to points on their license, Sgt. Pears says the safety of all motorists should be reason enough to make the change.

“It’s not the dollar involved in the fines or the ticket that could be issued. It’s what happens to you or your family, or the vehicle you may have run into,” Pears said. “That’s the ultimate price, here, where someone gets injured or killed.”

So if you’re planning a road trip that takes you onto one of many B.C. highways this fall or winter, make sure you’re prepared.