ATS Euromaster has written to 38 of the largest car and van manufacturers in the UK, urging them to offer customers a choice of summer or cold weather (winter) tyres when ordering a new factory-built vehicle.
It believes every additional car or van fitted with cold weather tyres during winter months will help to make the country’s roads safer; not just for the driver and their passengers, but for other road users and pedestrians. Road safety charity Brake agrees, and has added its support to the campaign.
Columba Zaal, group operations director at ATS Euromaster, said: “Tens of thousands of cars and vans are delivered during winter on rubber intended for summer conditions. As a result, much of the investment in technology to improve vehicle handling and safety is negated at the crucial stage where a vehicle makes contact with the road – through its tyres.
“If active safety systems such as adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning systems can increasingly be offered as factory-fit options, why can’t cold weather tyres?”
Zaal suggested that it would also encourage more owners to trial cold weather tyres for the first time.
Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive at Brake, said: “Winter driving can be perilous, so it’s crucial vehicles are fitted with appropriate equipment for the conditions. Winter tyres are more effective than summer tyres in cold and icy conditions as they improve grip on the road and allow drivers to react and stop more quickly in an emergency. This is critical in preventing devastating crashes and making roads safer for everyone.
“As a charity that supports people bereaved and seriously injured in road crashes, Brake is all too aware of the appalling suffering and trauma crashes cause to families and communities. Brake is therefore joining ATS Euromaster in calling on vehicle manufacturers to offer winter tyres.”
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