New Zealand to Consider Winter-Regular Tyre Mix Ban

New Zealand could become the first country to ban the use of winter and regular tyres on a single vehicle by as early as 2010 when its government considers a change in the rules proposed by the Transport Agency.

According to national news source, Radio New Zealand, several deaths in the country have been linked to the fitment of a mixture of seasonal and general rubber, with cars losing control more easily as a result of the combination. While the Transport Agency stated that snow tyres would still be lawful when fitted together, Brandt Shortland – the Northland coroner – argued that the snow tyres commonly found on imported Japanese vehicles are “lethal,” citing the death of a Whangarei man who lost control of his snow- and regular-shod car as an example. He suggested that the tyres were ineffective on the country’s wet tar-seal roads, on which standard rubber is safer.