According to recent independent research by Audi UK, only one in five UK drivers believe it is crucial to switch their vehicles over to winter tyres. The revelation serves as a welcome reminder of the significance of switching to winter tyres as Road Safety Week gets underway.
The use of winter tyres is mandatory during the winter months in many countries and regions throughout Europe, but there is no legal requirement to fit them in the UK. New research has revealed 61% of the UK drivers taking part in the survey confirmed that they had no plans to switch to winter tyres this year.
For 44% of survey respondents, the absence of legal obligation was enough to convince them to pass up the added safety and protection winter tyres offer, while the impact on running costs of buying and maintaining an additional set of tyres was the spanner in the works for 40% of respondents. Additionally, the potential difficulties involved in storing the wheels and/or tyres out-of-season was the main impediment for 22% of participants.