Quebec’s mandatory winter tire date is less than two weeks away, requiring all drivers in the province to be equipped with winter tires as of December 1.
This is the province’s second year under Quebec’s Highway Safety Code amendment, moving the mandatory date from December 15 — which was in place for the past ten years — to December 1.
According to the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), failure to adapt to the new tire installation can result in a $60 to $300 fine and/or a loss of two demerit points.
“Winter tires are mandatory from December 1 to March 15 inclusive,” says the SAAQ website.
- See also:
The decision to move up the deadline was a consequence of northern parts of the province experiencing harsher winter conditions earlier in the season than the heavily populated southwestern parts of Quebec.
Quebec is the only province to make winter tire use mandatory. BC drivers are required to have winter tires installed while travelling on certain designated highways around the province (mainly near high mountain routes where road conditions can be treacherous).
In 2016, Ontario required insurance companies to offer incentives for vehicles using winter tires, and Manitoba offers loans as an incentive to use winter tires.
A report in 2012 by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation found there had been a 36% reduction in the number of winter collisions in Quebec since the provincial government passed the law in 2008.
Follow Channels and Categories