Winter tire demand overwhelming Windsor tire store

Snow tires are now in demand in the Windsor region.

After last year's harsh winter, and the early snow and cold in recent days, there's a backlog of people wanting to equip their vehicles.

"Right now, we are overwhelmed with new purchases, customers coming in to get their changeovers because we have their winters in storage here," said Dave Santing at OK Tire.

Santing says drivers now must wait at least three days to get their tires changed at his shop. That's twice as long as the average wait time. He's never seen it be so busy at this time of year.

"They are forecasting the same type of winter as what we had last year, so I think people are just more knowledgeable and they're getting more prepared for what's coming down the pipeline," he said.

Santing says winter tires should last between four and five years.

He says he'll be busy again in March when people get their all-season tires back on.

So far in November, Windsor has received 17.6 cm of snow, that's about three times the amount of snow the city normally gets in the entire month.

Ontario Provincial Police say 248 collisions took place on Monday on roads in the western region of the OPP's coverage area, which spans from the Bruce Peninsula to Sarnia to Windsor.