Adherence to safety rules while driving is a critically important issue. We often do not realize the risks that seemingly insignificant details can cause. The high rate of traffic accidents in winter proves that it is necessary to equip the vehicle with winter tires for safe driving.
When driving a car, the most important load falls on the tires and they must be adapted to the climatic conditions. We have three types of tires according to seasonality:
- All-Season Tire
- Summer Tire
- Winter Tire
The recommended temperature for changing seasonal tires is 7°C, which means that at temperatures below 7°C it is advisable to equip the car with winter tires. It should also be noted that in difficult climatic conditions, all-season tires are not as reliable as winter tires. It has a different composition, structure, and pattern that ensures better braking, and safety on icy and snowy roads.
Because quite a lot of traffic accidents were recorded in the past years, a new law was implemented on January 1, 2024, to ensure road safety.
The law envisages the obligation to equip the vehicle with winter tires when moving in the zones/road sections defined by the Government of Georgia in the period from December 1st to March 1st. In special cases, taking into account the meteorological conditions, a period different from the above-mentioned period may be determined or an additional requirement to equip the vehicle with snow chains may be established.
As a sanction 100 GEL fine and 5 points reduction on the driver’s license were imposed. Also, the driver may be restricted from driving in the zones defined by the law or the vehicle may be confiscated and placed in a specially secured parking lot before the case is considered. It should be noted that compensation for the costs of transporting the vehicle and storing it in a specially protected parking lot will be charged to the offender and the vehicle will be returned to the owner after presenting the vehicle registration certificate or letter of attorney.
Winter tires must meet the following characteristics:
- 10 years must not have passed since the date of manufacture of tires;
- The date of its manufacture must be legible on the tire;
- The depth of the tread of the tire should be:
- not less than 3 mm – for vehicles of categories M1, N1, N2, N3;
- not less than 4 mm – for M2, M3 category vehicles;
- The tire must have a symbol – a snowflake
- Vehicles of categories M3, N2, and N3, it is allowed to drive with winter tires that do not have the snowflake symbol.
The list of road sections, where it will be mandatory to drive vehicles with winter tires or snow chains during the winter, can be found at the link: https://www.matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/6040563?publication=0
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