Winter tires required today on some B.C. highways

If you've driven on BC highways during the winter months, you know how precarious the road conditions can be and how important it is to have proper tires.

As of October 1, BC law requires that all vehicles travelling on specific highways have winter tires.

• Designated Winter Tire and Chain-up Routes

Along with the province, trucking associations are alsoreminding driversto prepare for the winter conditions before it is too late.

Gary McLeod is the manager of the Northern BCTruckers Association. He says that mostaccidents happen around the first snowfall and there have already been sightings of early snowfall on northern B.C. roadways.

"Wecan get freak snowstorms and freezing rain starting any time,"McLeod says.

And if safety concerns aren't enough to make you invest in winter tires, perhaps the fineswill be.

• Ministry of Transportation Reminder
• Winter Tire Rules

If caught on a designatedhighway without proper tires, you could face a fine of over 100 dollars for either not having snow tires, or not having a proper depth of atleast3.5mm.

"Tires are actually a pretty cheap investment. It only takes one accident and you're wishing you had the properequipment," McLeod said.