Not so fast removing those winter tires in B.C. Interior this spring

With April just around the corner, it's the time of year many start thinking about switching the winter tires on their vehicle to all-season or all-weather tires.

It’s tricky to get the timing right because it's tough to predict what to expect weather-wise in the B.C. Interior over the next month or so. The decision is made more difficult by this year’s late winter, and the changing requirements for winter tire use on the province's highways.

The Ministry of Transportation is reminding motorists mandatory winter tire and chain requirements are extended this year to April 30 on select highways, including routes through mountain passes and on rural routes in high snowfall areas.

In the Thompson-Okanagan, there are still several routes where the snow tires can come off on April 1. If you’re sure you won’t be travelling the mountain passes, you can drive on Highways 97, 33, 6, 8, 12 and 5A without winter tires.

Obviously there is no guarantee snow won’t fall on those routes after April 1. These are only guidelines and it’s always a good idea to be prepared, as mother nature generally calls the shots.

Many motorists find a good compromise in using designated winter tires (tires with the mountain/snowflake emblem on the sidewall) during the winter and M+S tires (mud and snow) the rest of the year, the ministry says, adding mud and snow tires have a shape and tread design that gives them better traction than all-season tires, and are also legal for winter driving.

For everything you need to know about winter tires in B.C. head check out the ministry's web page on the subject here.

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