Here in NZ an esteemed member of the judiciary has advocated that all snow tyres be banned from the roads, due to their lack of traction! Is he right?!
tinyurl.com/3c5gh4u
Seems odd to me. The accident occurred on a snow-free road, but surely snow tyres need to work on other surfaces than the white stuff?
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>> but surely snow tyres
>> need to work on other surfaces than the white stuff?
They do, though I suppose some are better than others.
The "inevitable slide" was possibly inevitable because of excessive speed - the tyres wouldn't make it inevitable, would they?
Doesn't it snow in New Zealand?
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need more information.
(1) Are the 'snow tyres' fitted to Jap cars imported to NZ the same as European snow tyres.
(2) Is an NZ coroner like those in the Uk - a lawyer or doctor who might get carried away?
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The New Zealand Government considers snow tyres unnecessary for most of its drivers and dangerous if used in the summer.
www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/winter-tyres/docs/winter-tyres-pamphlet.pdf
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Hmmm... wonder if they will be banning ditchfinder summer tyres too?
Anyway at least they advise all-season as an acceptable alternative.
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Propa snow tyres (i.e. with the snowflake symbol) do have an increased breaking/stopping distance on dry roads so maybe if comrade Paul had good quality summer tyres fitted at the time, he might still be with us today (dunno)
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Obviously driving a vehicle within its limits does not apply these days...
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Further info...
The car Mr Paul was riding in was driven by his nephew who refused to give evidence at the coroner's hearing. The car was fitted with four snow tyres.
A man who was driving in front said he slowed down from 100kmh to 65kmh at a difficult corner, but still felt his rear wheels slide. His car had normal tyres fitted.
A police investigation found that piece of road had calcium magnesium acetate applied to try to prevent ice forming. But the acetate had created a slippery surface which the snow tyres couldn't grip.
So the car on summer tyres nearly lost control and there was a fault with the road surface. Also we have no idea if the crashed car's driver's ability to control a skid was as good as the driver who avoided losing control. Similarly we don't know the relative abilities of the two cars, their tyre brands, pressures or tread depths. Also telling the driver of the crashed car declined to give evidence.
Not proven the fault of the snow tyres at all then.
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I would think it's the same as knobbly off road tyres on cycles and motorcycles, great on the soft stuff where the heavy treads can dig in but poor on tarmac.
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...Also telling the driver of the crashed car declined to give evidence...
I've seen this a couple of times in the UK, and I imagine the NZ inquest system will be similar to our own.
Chances are the driver's insurers will have sent legal representation to the inquest, and those lawyers will have advised the driver not to answer questions on the grounds he may incriminate himself.
In these circumstances, the coroner can play the tape of the driver's police interview - assuming there is one - and take it as evidence.
If the coppers are any good, they will have asked all the relevant questions, so the driver's account is given at the inquest, even though he doesn't give it in person.
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Call for banning of snow tyres! - Manatee
