I’ve read the recent letter to the editor regarding the possible banning or regulation of studded tires.
I tend to agree that studded tires are a necessity in our area, considering the ice we have to deal with, the hills of this area and the announcement last fall that in some counties that there isn’t enough money in the budget for snow removal in rural areas.
What are we supposed to do?
We’ve been lucky these past couple of winters due to global warming where the ice hasn’t been much of a problem.
However, things can change very quickly.
Regarding damages to roadways: The new studs are a softer material and only last a couple of seasons.
The I-5 corridor between Seattle and Portland is in bad shape due to semi-truck damage, not studded tires, a person will notice that it’s the truck lane that has wearing going on as the water collects in the low spots where the tire tracks are, so that we in cars are pretty much hydroplaning most of the way to Portland. Yikes!
My studded tires have not only given me the edge to save myself in a couple of emergency situations, but saved others as well.
I’ve had a couple of people slide through stop signs at the bottom of a hill and enter the intersection out of control, I was able to avoid hitting them because I had traction and was in control, I could stop or swerve and I watched them careen off the road into the ditch in my rearview mirror.
No, I love being prepared for driving in the ice, over the passes and on the steep hills in our area while in control.
Dave Smith
Carnation
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