So I talked to my friend over MSN yesterday and he drives a 2004 Honda Civic Si and, since winter is pretty much here, I tried to talk him into buying snow tires, seeing as the Civic has the worst drivetrain layout any car could have. He promptly denied the idea of slapping on snow tires, and simply says "I just won't drive in the snow". It seemed fine to me at first, I mean, it makes sense, doesn't it? If your car isn't ready for the snow, then just don't drive in it.

Then tonight we got hit with a blanket of snow. It's not heavy, but it's been snowing steadily for the last 6 or so hours, so the roads are quite slippery. Unlike my friend I had snow tires installed just a week ago and making quick stops wasn't a problem. On my way home earlier I saw two civics getting tow-trucked. I got home and my friend says his car's alignment was messed up. He had crashed into a curb and had been sliding his car all over the place. It just made me go "serves you right"

I think it's absolutely critical to get snow tires if you live in a place that snows during the winter. It just seems plain idiotic trying to drive without winter tires. It's like trying to rollerblade on dirt. It just won't work. You're also driving up everyone else's insurance as well. I absolutely love Quebec because they made it illegal to drive in the winter without snow tires.

So that's my opinion, what about yours? Should drivers drive in the snow without winter tires? The answer seems obvious, but many people think they can get away with it. Should people drive in the snow without snow tires? Do you think there should be laws making it illegal to do so? I know that some places don't get snow, so it's not that big a deal, but for those who get snow, do you make any attempt to getting yourself prepared for winter?

I live near the equator where there's no snow but then, accidents does not discriminate. Be it slippery roads due to wet surfaces or snow-covered surfaces, it is always prudent to be on the safe side. Here in hot and humid climate countries, tires with good wet traction is equally important as snow tires in snowing countries since wet surfaces can also result in skiddings. Furthermore, when you hit deeper pockets of water (due to uneven road surfaces), your car can also get pushed aside due to resistance from water which was not channeled away out of the tire footprint.

That's my two cents on the issue of personal safety (and also that of passengers) on a common platform. For the more specific snow-related issues like legalization and personal experiences, I leave that to those who have first-hand experience.

As long as the person who drives without snow tires dont danger innocent people i dont care but i can kinda understand the people who dont want snow tires.
Some people think that they car controll is enought to drive without snow tires but forget that there are things wich can interfere with his car controll or conecntration when he drives wich canbe end in a crash.
There are people wich dont want to buy snow tires because they arent that cheap so they drive without snow tires.

I think when we have that much people who drive without snow tires then the Industrie should make ires for both Normal and Snow also i think it is something where the Law shouldnt be involved because when people dont want to drive with that tires then thy would drive with it it is common sense the most people have it someothers dont.

Persohnaly i think if you dont have Snow tires ecause of whatever then jsut drive slowly and carefully to avoid Crashes and accidents.

Well.. I live in tropical area, so I don't have any idea about this. But I think you should use special tire for winter depend with the climate, worse or not.

Snow tires can be expensive and some people can barely afford to put gas in their cars let alone afford snow tires.. i agree with shim though...even if you don't buy them you should at least make sure to drive carefully and remember that you're not going to stop as quickly so put lots of distance between you and other vehicles and drive carefully around corners and such where sliding happens alot.. there's ways to avoid accidents even without the season appropriate tires

I've been driving in the snow for 15 years now, and I just use all season radials. Though those only work to a certain point, the same goes with snow tires. If I can't get out of my neighborhood street, I'm not going out that day. Note that's only happened twice in the last 15 years.

More and more snow is falling where I live... so I'm not allowed to drive much anymore ><

Anyway, If a person can afford winter tires, then I think there is little reason not to get them. It can prevent you from getting yourself hurt and protect others as well. But getting winter tires doesn't wipe out all dangers. Before anything, I think drivers should slow down and keep a further distance from each other. It's OK to drive at the speed limit or even below it when it's snowing. The bad thing is that when people start passing or beeping you, you feel the pressure to speed up. I don't let those risky idiots get to me though, lol. (Yeah, but Luna, you drive way below the speed limit so you're causing trouble as well.)

Well, I'm living in Germany and here you have to get winter tires or these special "all season"-tires. In the end I prefere not to drive, when it's getting too much snow, but sometimes it can't be helped and in these situations I prefere driving slower then usually. That also applies to heavy rain. I simply cannot understand those driving with their usual speed on extreme weather conditions...
Usually it is recommanded to have these winter tires from october to easter, but often I got home at the beginning of november sometimes even facing the first snow. o.O

Since we live in the midwest, practically in the middle of NOWHERE, and down dirt road that get pretty nasty during the snow, we had to get tire chains for our truck. @~1@

They actually work pretty well, but they're a biotch to get on. xD

We just got some snow where I'm at and I don't think that I'll be driving anytime soon >_> I've got a motorcycle so besides it being incredibly freezing if I rode it, I don't think I would be able to make a turn at all

Hope someone would invent some super tire, or flying car >.>

Main reason I have minimum schedule during winter, best to stay in home.

I'm pretty sure I just saw this on the news, apparently (in Canada atleast) those caught driving without snow tires (in the snow -.-) will be fined up to $400.

Most people either don't know how to drive in snow or forget, as is blatantly evident in British Columbia especially. I spend snowy days watching cars crawl up hills like gravity-reversed molasses, only to slide back down and try again with the same approach. People are paranoid about going fast in snow, which really is sort of important (so long as you use some common sense).

Dude, if I have to work, I'm going to give it a go no matter what kind of tires I have. I'm not trying to be a bad person, but I have responsibilities. I can only drive what I have within my means, but I'll drive slowly and as cautiously as I can. If I don't need to drive in snow I won't, but I do have things I need to get done.

North Dakota here, and you'll hate me for this but, I don't have snow tires! I just use 4-wheel drive, weigh my car down in the trunk with some bags of sand and drive decently slow and carefully. Most of the time you can look at the road ahead and tell if it's ice or not, unless it's black ice, that shit is my worst nightmare.
I'm driving a 95 Chevy Blazer.

Oh and to Marysonnie, yeah... been there done that. Basically was blizzard conditions, wipers kept freezing, low visibility all the good stuff. Had to get to work, at this time I was driving a 1970 K-5 Chevy Blazer with a four inch lift kit. I went about 15-10 mph took a slow turn, slide and had someone slide into me from behind. I took no damage but they smashed their head light and had the hood scraped back a bit, which I found somewhat hilarious.

Getting to work is important, but its also important to keep your insurance rates down, and also not to get stuck somewhere you can't hike it to the nearest building. Call in sick or take a personal day. It's never worth the risk potentially harming yourself or others.

Speaking of awesome driving in winter, here's a fun video that I'm sure most have seen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMzeiMJQrvk

Winter is the most difficult driving season. Not only do you have snow and ice to deal with, but there are fewer hours of daylight as well.
Before winter weather arrives, make sure your vehicle is in good condition, especially the tires. Make sure you've got good snow tires, and put them on early. Try not to get caught without them in the first snowfall. Never combine radial and non-radial tires on the same vehicle. On front-wheel drive cars, it's best to put snow tires or "all-season" tires on all four wheels, not just the front.
If you must drive, clear the ice and snow from your vehicle, all windows and windshield wipers. Be sure the windshield washer reservoir is adequately filled with a freeze-resistant cleaning solution.
Drive slowly. Even if your vehicle has good traction in ice and snow, other drivers will be traveling cautiously. Don't distrupt the flow of traffic by driving faster than everyone else.
In a rear-wheel drive vehicle, you can usually feel a loss of traction or the beginning of a skid. There may be no such warning in a front-wheel drive, however. Front-wheel drives do handle better in ice and snow, but they do not have flawless traction, and skids can occur unexpectedly. Don't let the better feel and handling of a front-wheel drive car cause you to drive faster than you should.
Despite a popular misconception, the best approach to recovering from a skid is the same for foth front and rear-wheel drive vehicles. If your rear wheels start to skid:

Turn the steering wheel in the direction you want the front wheels to go. If your rear wheels are sliding left, steer left. If they're sliding right, steer right.
If your rear wheels start sliding the other way as you recover, ease the steering wheel toward that side. You might have to steer left and right a few times to get your vehicle completely under control.
If your car has an anti-lock braking system (ABS), keep your foot on the pedal. If not, pump the pedal gently, pumping more rapidly as your car slows down. Braking hard with non-anti-lock brakes will make the skid worse.

If your front wheels skid:

Take your foot off the gas and shift to neutral, but don't try to steer immediately.
As the wheels skid sideways, they will slow the vehicle and traction will return. As it does, steer in the direction you want to go. Then put the transmission in "drive" or release the clutch, and accelerate gently.
To avoid skids, brake carefully and gently on snow or ice. "Squeeze" your brakes in slow, steady strokes. Allow the wheels to keep rolling. If they start to lock up, ease off the brake pedal. As you slow down, you may also want to shift into a lower gear.
When sleet, freezing rain or snow start to fall, remember that bridges, ramps, and overpasses are likely to freeze first. Also be aware that slippery spots may still remain after road crews have cleared the highways.