Traffic, Consumer | Slippery roads lead to more expensive insurance:

(The newspaper online): Norwegian motorists on Tuesday received an unwelcome message from insurance companies: car insurance rates must increase.

The explanation from Gjensidige is this:

– Slippery roads, more rescues, more damage to cars – and all the damage will be more expensive to repair with more advanced cars, Berit Nielsen of Jensedig told DN.

Studded tires are safer

The case has revived the annual question of whether more people should use studded tires, in a country where road icing is a major problem in almost all parts of the country.

Today, consumption of studded tires is so high north of Trondheim, while very few people use them in the areas around Oslo where studded tire users have to pay a separate fee. There are also separate fees in Bergen and Trondheim.

Studded tires are not a problem if you live in an area where snow and cold are common. Non-studded tires often perform the same—or do better—on snow. Studded tires are mainly useful on ice.

Or to put it another way: it's useful when the road is really dangerous.

In recent years, there have been many instances of heavy snowfall, followed by rainfall and low temperatures. As a result, ice has accumulated on many roads, making them extremely slippery.

In addition, temperature fluctuations above and below zero create the most difficult driving conditions. The worst thing is that small amounts of water frozen on the asphalt turn into “black ice” – an invisible layer of ice.

Responding to Parliament last year, Transport Minister John Ivar Nygard (AFP) reported that studded tires had helped reduce the risk of accidents – although according to him the effect was “modest”.

– It should have been mandatory

Retired ambulance driver Knut Tveten has been fighting for more studded tires for a decade, and believes the mandate is something that should be on studded tires – especially in coastal areas.

-This winter has been particularly difficult, with a lot of snow and a lot of steel ice under the snow. The issue of progress and “traction” is more important than ever. It's important to be able to stop and direct, he tells Netavicin.

He doesn't believe the claim that security is a little better:

– In my career, I was busy looking at tires. I can't remember a winter traffic accident with studded tires, although it certainly happens.

It refers to tire manufacturers' numbers from winter tests. For example, Nokian talks about the braking distance on ice at a speed of only 50 km/h, which is 17 meters (40 percent) longer with good non-studded tires, compared to studded tires.

– Those are huge numbers. Why doesn't Norway want to address this problem, he says, as it creates a lot of dangerous situations, not least in Oslo with smooth polished roads.

– He adds that it is complete madness.

-Do not buy needles with rubber

Tveiten doesn't buy the argument that studless tires are good in all situations other than really smooth roads.

– On this line you really need a good grip. It's been especially evident this winter.

– Just think: “everyone” has bought spiked boots or spikes this winter, it's not like you're buying rubber spikes underneath. You have to have steel, he stresses, and that's exactly the case.

He believes insurance companies should give discounts to those who use studded tires.

– They agreed that he would have provided the insurance paymentsBut it's “politically incorrect” for them to say that, as studded tires are portrayed as an environmental disaster. But in reality, if you have a lower recurrence rate, you should be rewarded for that. In the same way that those who live inside the ring in Oslo have to pay more because there is a greater chance of something happening there, than if you lived in Arendal where nothing happens at all. He says it reflects the insurance amounts.

Studded tires are important for the safety of all motorists

In addition to the fact that studded tires are much more effective on ice, experts are clear that non-studded tires only work optimally if a large percentage use studded tires.

A percentage of studded tires between 20 and 40 percent is ideal for winter conditions. In Oslo, it is much less than 10%.

What happens next is that the road is “polished” by the studless tires, and becomes smoother.

-We have conducted a number of tire tests on ice. Then we rely on the existence of equal conditions. Then we see that if we have 50/50, the studded tires are able to plow through the ice so conditions are better. It may be 60 percent free of spikes, and we can tolerate that, but we are much higher now, says senior advisor Kjell Magne Albergø at the Information Council for Road Traffic (OFV).

Transport Minister Nygard acknowledges this too – but it's also the same problem:

– Studded tires have a positive effect on the roughness of snow, ice and asphalt, but they increase asphalt wear, leading to problems with too much road dust, poor air quality, the development of large grooves and shortened tire life, Nygaard said.

He says that the Swedish Road Administration is working on creating more durable asphalt surfaces to reduce inconvenience, but it is not easy.

– Some stone materials with good wear resistance can also be polished more easily by traffic, Nygaard says.

Clear message: your responsibility

The insurance company's communications director, Sigmund Clements, understands that motorists have to bear this responsibility themselves.

– Enforces traffic law and vehicle regulations. The message states that you should dress appropriately for the weather and driving conditions. Without exception, it is your responsibility to choose the right tires for the vehicle you drive. You can't blame anyone else.

– Someone might want to blame the studded tire tax?

– Yes, we see that very few people in the Oslo area have studded tires. This also applies to many other large cities around the Oslofjord, southern Norway and western Norway.

– The vast majority of people only have one set of winter tires, so most choose based on where they drive the most. But if you have a cabin in the mountains, and you have a tire that you have to climb, it might be natural for you to choose studded tires, even if you live in an area where most people choose winter tires without them. inlay.

Another issue is the usual experience if you're driving on winding county roads, where it's smooth and nice most of the way – but then suddenly becomes very smooth before shaded turns. Then you can proceed directly.

-It's normal, and only a little energy helps. If you drive on such roads, my advice is that perhaps studded tires are for you, take the chance and pay the studded tire fee.

He also says that temperature fluctuations are nothing new.

– On the few days when the weather is really slippery on municipal roads, to say that more people should buy studded tires, because there are many other measures that could be taken, is a step backwards into the future. This applies at least to road maintenance where necessary measures can be taken.

Gjensidige also worries that people should evaluate themselves:

– What concerns us is that motorists have very good tire equipment, whether studded or not. “This choice should be up to each individual motorist to evaluate, and not something we should interfere with,” communications director Bjarne Ane Rystad tells Nettavisen.

– It is very important that winter maintenance is good

NAF communications advisor Niels Sodal believes that studless tires are at least as good as the exception of 'klink ice' tyres, and is more concerned that road maintenance needs to be improved:

– Snow polishing occurs mostly in salted areas. When the snow settles on top of the brine, it becomes a type of slush making braking and braking conditions extremely slippery Acceleration It results in polished ice.

– With the winter we are experiencing now with a lot of snow, it is very important that road maintenance in the winter is good. Additionally, as motorists, we all have a responsibility to evaluate whether we should get out and drive when things are at their best. He says it might be a good idea to think about when it's snowing and driving conditions are difficult.