Strathclyde Tyres Blog

Firestone, part of the Bridgestone group, has extended its European winter tyre range with the launch of the Winterforce studded tyre for severe Nordic winter conditions. Its pattern provides confident braking and traction in ice, snow and slush conditions.

Firestone Winterforce is a studded tyre for passenger cars in Europe. It has studs on the shoulder and lateral ribs, which provide confident acceleration and braking on ice and compact snow, enhanced by a combination of sipe designs across the whole tread area for maximum biting edge effect on frozen surfaces.

Bridgestone Corporation has won the 'Tire Technology of the Year' award at the Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence 2012, held earlier this month in Germany.

The award was made in recognition of new technology that can provide real time road surface condition information to the driver by way of the tyres. It is based on a concept called Contact Area Information Sensing (CAIS).

Four in ten motorists say they will use the car less in 2012 if the costs associated with driving continue to rise, according to AXA's motoring census of 2011. One in 13 say that they have already been forced to stop.

Almost half (44%) admit they enjoy driving less than they used to, largely down to the cost (68%). This is striking in comparison to 2010 figures, when cost clearly had less impact on motorists' habits (just 38% admitted they enjoyed driving less than they used to, and 38% blamed the cost).

A new survey has found that drivers are not taking basic precautions to help them cope with bad weather, despite falling temperatures and the onset of wintry conditions.

The poll carried out for Garmin, the sat nav manufacturer, found that an overwhelming number of young drivers (18 – 24 year-olds) said they’re not prepared for winter driving (57%) despite planning to cover the most miles over the Christmas period visiting friends and family. The rest of the population fared a little better, but overall just over one third of motorists still confessed to being ill-prepared (34%).

Government statistics show that almost 600 accidents involving heavy goods vehicles (HGV) in Great Britain last year were due to snow or ice, according to tyre manufacturer Michelin.

A total of 338 rigid HGV accidents were attributed to snow or ice on the roads, while 230 articulated HGVs were involved in accidents under similar conditions.

Road safety charity the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) is warning that many of Britain’s roads will become more hazardous for motorists as the frosts and local council cuts bite.

In spite of the last two winters of severe cold, snow and ice, many councils are planning to cut back on winter road services, including salting, exposing motorists to dangerous driving conditions. Last year there was a 37% increase in the number of cars overturning in snow and ice, according to Department for Transport figures.