[mrkajz44]

I'm all for it - using them reduces collisions (based on those quebec numbers) and we get enough snow events for them to be worthwhile. Another benefit that others have no mentioned is less productivity lost with accidents clogging the roads. I personally was over 30 minutes late to work; multiply that by a couple hundred thousand people driving and the lost man hours add up pretty quick.

I also don't buy the cost as being an issue. As others have pointed out, having winter tires basically doubles the lifetime of both your summer and winter tires. Also, considering most people are spending $10-20k+ on their vehicles, I find it hard to argue that the extra $1k or so for winters with rims would break their bank. If the tires were mandatory, just add that to the cost of selling and car and include it in their loans so the cost is spread out over time.

Honestly, people spend so much money on their vehicles, but when it comes to the one thing that actually touches the road, extra costs are suddenly too much to bear. So odd.