Tic-Tac… There are only a few days left for motorists who live in mountainous areas, or for those who intend to go there, to equip themselves with snow tires, chains or non-slip socks to always have in their boot. As of November 1,
compulsory winter equipment become compulsory in 48 French departments, including Hautes-Alpes, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Savoie and Jura. A measure put in place to reduce accidents on snow-covered and icy roads, but which is far from meeting with good unanimity.
Even if it will be a blank year since the Interior Ministry has announced that free riders will not be fined until March 31. A reprieve that has not fallen on deaf ears. Catherine, a reader of 20 minutes, took the authorities at their word, for her “it will be next year”. On the other hand for Thomas, delays or not, it will be no. “It’s a forced sale. We hardly ever have snow so I won’t buy any of that, ”explains the 30-year-old. Many like him do not understand that certain departments, whether in the plain or at 1,800 m, are unilaterally affected.
Price, ecology … Many arguments against
“What is this joke again, for passes and mountains, snow tires or chains have always been mandatory. But impose them for the entire departments where, like me, we have seen five days of snow in ten years and where we have only one week per year of temperature below 5 ° C. It’s just rubbish, yet another law to make us crack down. Snow tires are much more expensive and in addition to the rims, I will not explain. They consume more gasoline and with the rise to come, it will be nice for your gasoline budget… And in addition, snow tires are noisier ”, comments Bobby on our site, which sees“ ecology level, a zero point “. The cost of this winter equipment makes many Internet users climb their noses.
Michel lives in Figeac in the Lot, a border department of Corrèze or Cantal, at the foot of the Massif Central. This 74-year-old driver has done his accounts for his 308 and he does not intend to take the plunge. “This forces me to buy four rims and four snow tires, a cost that is too high, around € 600,” explains the retiree. The same goes for Marie-Laure, a resident of Vaucluse, who only uses it occasionally, when she goes to look for her grandson in the Haut Var during school holidays. “I won’t go get it when it snows, it’s still dough for the equipment manufacturers and the State!” », She tackles. “Forcing people to put on four snow tires, when two are enough, shows a willingness to put in a” tire tax “,” responded Durandil.
Marion lives in the Doubs, an area subject to these new regulations. But she decided to free herself from it. On the one hand, because she cannot see herself investing when she has a leased car that she will return in a year. And if it ever needs to be checked, she has already taken out her calculator: “In any case, even two fines a year are profitable rather than buying special tires for a vehicle that does not belong to me. We have always driven without special tires, this law does not make sense, ”she pleaded in her testimony.
For the safety and to limit the castaways of the road
But where some point to a binding and expensive obligation, others see it as a good solution to reduce accidents. Rémy lives in the North, which is far from being a mountain area. No decree therefore obliges him to equip himself. “But my wife had a material accident on her own a few years ago on a snowy highway in the region. Since then I have equipped our two cars with a set of wheels fitted with winter tires which I leave from November to April. In addition, even without snow, we feel a clear improvement with winter tires as soon as the temperatures approach zero degrees, so it is an investment, of course, but the life of his family is priceless, “says this forty-something. , which for safety, also has chains in its trunk when going to winter sports.
Yves, mountain passes are his daily life. This healthcare professional applauds this measure with both hands. “How many times have I found irresponsible people at an altitude of 1,200 m on snow-covered roads in difficulty and with children on board. These people had no awareness of the danger, no equipment and often borderline slick tires. It also happened that people chain in extremely dangerous places in the middle of a bridge or a bend, ”recalls this 60-year-old, for whom“ we must also educate people on these dangers ”.
Some people remember the images of those castaways on the road, stranded on the highways after snowfall. Or even endless traffic jams on Saturdays to access certain ski resorts, access to which is blocked because of icy roads where cars are stranded in the ravines. For Alexandre, “it’s just common sense. Climbing a mountain without suitable equipment is very dangerous for yourself and others. Too many people take reckless risks, especially tourists. The local inhabitants, for their part, have often already been equipped for years, ”he assures us.
We will leave Claude, 86 years old, and many hours of driving on the clock, to conclude. “It’s been a long time since I have been equipped with” snow “, if only because of” a low instinct for self-preservation “, if not out of respect for others being liable to prevent them from circulating because of my selfishness – the road belongs to everyone – and also in order to allow possible emergency services to access the accidental or otherwise castaways ”. It is said.