Compulsory winter tires

adminonJuly 27, 2022February 11, 2022Leave a Comment

Winter is a rather slippery affair for many motorists. There is one issue that cannot be avoided every year: winter tires. When should they be fitted, which tires may be used?? Is there a winter tire obligation in germany? We have summarized some information for you on the subject of winter tires.

Only with good winter tires and sufficient tread depth can you drive safely through snow and icy roads.

For whom does the winter tire requirement apply?

In principle, winter tires are compulsory for all vehicles on public roads, also for vehicles with foreign license plates.

When to change winter tires?

When it comes to the question of when winter tires must be fitted, the popular rule is O to O, i.e., from october to easter.

The legislator does not specify an exact period, because this does not depend on the season, but on the weather conditions.

You must have winter tires?

One thing is certain: anyone driving with summer tires on slippery roads, ice or snow must expect a fine and a point in the central traffic register. If there is an obstruction, a hazard or even an accident, it becomes even more expensive.

By the way: insurance coverage often does not apply or only partially applies here. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. Recently, not only the driver but also the owner of the car who allowed the car to be driven without winter tires will be held responsible.

Driving without winter tires?

Anyone driving with summer tires on slippery roads, ice or snow must expect a fine of at least 60 euros and a point in the central traffic register.

Which winter tires may I drive?

The requirements for winter tires have changed again in 2017.Whereas in the past a so-called M+S marking was sufficient to certify that a winter tire had better driving and traction properties on snow than a normal tire, the alpine symbol – a mountain pictogram with a snowflake – is now required.

The alpine symbol was introduced as a new label by the united nations economic commission for europe (UNECE). This is intended to ensure uniform conditions with regard to rolling noise emissions and adhesion on wet surfaces.

But there is a transitional period until 30. September 2024. Until then, M+S tires are considered to be suitable for winter use if they are fitted by 31.12.2017 were manufactured. Winter tires purchased this year can therefore be fitted without hesitation.

Remember:

30. September 2024

alpine symbol

A winter tire configurator helps to find the right winter tire for your vehicle.

Who is excluded from the winter tire obligation?

Excluded are single-track motor vehicles as well as agricultural and forestry vehicles, trailers, forklifts, emergency and special vehicles for which no suitable winter tires are available. Even parked cars that are not moved during the winter months are not subject to the winter tire obligation.

But there are restrictions: before I start a journey with a vehicle that is exempt from the winter tire obligation, I have to check whether my destination could not also be reached with another means of transport. If this can be denied, further precautionary measures apply in road traffic:

Minimum distance

Winter tires and car rental

If you rent a vehicle in winter weather conditions, you should always find out about its tires. As a general rule, a car may not be rented out if it is not in a safe and roadworthy condition. This also includes the right tires. Car rental companies are free to charge additional costs for the use of winter tires.

Accident in winter and no winter tires: who is liable??

If you drive with summer tires in winter conditions and have a traffic accident, you will have to accept a reduction in benefits from your comprehensive insurance or your car insurance company. Calculate liability insurance.

These are issued on the basis of gross negligence. The joint liability affects the owner and driver equally. The owner, because he allowed the use of his car with summer tires, and the driver, because he objectively violated the winter tire obligation. This is also the case if another driver caused the accident.

It is therefore better to put on winter tires before the first snow falls and thus minimize the risk of an accident. This contributes to the safety of all road users.

Store winter tires correctly

As quickly as winter comes, it is often just as quickly over again. Before you store your tires, increase the air pressure by 0.5 bar more than the manufacturer’s specifications. Even though the tires are not used, the air pressure decreases during the storage period. Rimless tires should be stored upright and rotated a few times over the course of the months.

How long you can drive with winter tires?

Basically you should use winter tires not longer than 10 years use, only eight would be better. If you need new tires, it’s best to take care of them early, otherwise you may be faced with long waiting times – depending on the model – as there may be bottlenecks in production and delivery during the peak period.

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T he farewell to the car as we know it is coming. christian rauch is firmly convinced of this. And he also knows the answer to the key question of how and with what our grandchildren will get around: "more diverse, networked, post-fossil and shared."

Rauch is considered to be the expert who knows best what the distant automotive future will look like. since the founding of the frankfurt-based "international society for future and trend consulting" two decades ago, he and the think tank have been working on future scenarios. The topic of mobility is particularly close to the sociologist’s heart.

In his view, the classic car with an internal combustion engine that sits in the garage is a discontinued model. "in the future, people will buy access to, not ownership of, mobility products," says rauch. The plethora of car-sharing providers and platform operators such as uber, the google subsidiary waymo or the announcement of autonomously driving cabs by tesla are examples of future mobility offerings.

A car full of solar cells

Whether the all-electric car or a hydrogen-powered fuel cell will prevail by 2030 or 2040 has not yet been decided, says rauch. "the race is not over yet."However, he sees a greater affinity for hydrogen drive among many German carmakers – because of the longer value chain that will then be involved.

Which new ideas are currently the most realistic for tomorrow’s automobility is made clear in the denkfabrik’s "future products" study. For example, the israeli start-up city transformer is developing a small two-seater e-car that folds up at the touch of a button and is then only one meter wide. Another example is the german company sono motors, which is working on the e-family car model sion.

Its batteries are to be charged by the sun’s rays even while the car is on the move. Whether on the roof, the hood, on the sides – solar cells are installed everywhere. Moss is installed in the dashboard and in the center console to filter the air, and it does not need to be fertilized, watered or cut. Series production to start next year.

Rauch assumes that in the long term "there will tend to be fewer cars on German roads". New forms of shared mobility, i.e. the sharing of means of transport with each other, would take care of that. One of the big building blocks is car sharing. "one car-sharing vehicle could replace about seven privately registered cars," rauch calculates. The mobility of the future would also include new services offered by so-called microcarriers, such as electric scooters, autonomous small shuttle vehicles or e-bicycles.

One thing is for sure: the now overriding importance of the car will in any case diminish. According to mobility prophet rauch, this would be one offer among several solutions. Rauch refers to the emerging political pressure in Germany to push cars out of city centers, to restrict street parking and to expand cycle paths. "car use will decline and so will registrations," predicts rauch. "in ten to 15 years, one in ten passenger cars could be eliminated."

However, there will be greater regional differences. in the countryside, the car retains its greater importance even today. in 2040, the number of cars per capita will still be higher there than in the cities.The sociologist expects a change in automotive values. He refers, for example, to the ongoing debate about abandoning flying for environmental reasons. The movement originated in scandinavian countries, and has also coined the term "flugscham. "there could develop SUV shame, as an aversion to big, fat cars," says rauch. On the other hand, the number of small e-vehicles is likely to increase significantly.

Two years ago, in a study for the German automobile association ADAC, futurologists pointed out that the boundaries between public and private transport will disappear in the future. "in cities and urban regions, the car will lose its sole dominant position," it says.

Fast cars will still be around in the future

"use instead of own" is becoming the new motto. In the future, cars will be less about status and more about smart, intelligent mobility. "why shouldn’t there be a mobility flat rate for all forms of transportation in the future, just like a bahn-card 100 for all trains today??" asks rauch.

The futurologist expects an "evolution of mobility," to which other major megatrends will also contribute, such as the change in working life ("new work"). "mobile, connected work will be an integral part of everyday life," says the study for ADAC. However, with considerable consequences: "transportation, but also train stations, airports, hotels, and coworking spaces will become an integral part of our working and living environment."In the future, it will not only be a matter of traveling reliably, safely and comfortably, but also of being able to work in a meaningful way at the same time.

A German specialty that has often been discussed for abolition may not yet be buried by rauch. He does not believe that the maximum speed in the car of the future will be heavily restricted. Although volvo recently announced that, from 2020, no new vehicle will be able to drive faster than 180 km/h, it will still be able to do so in the future. Researcher rauch, on the other hand, assumes that the tempo discussion "will be revisited with autonomously driving cars". His argument: "an autonomous car traveling at 200 km/h is safer than an individual driver."

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