Attention owners of old tires: The transition period for tires with a certain marking expires at the end of September. Anyone caught with them in winter will have to pay.
It is not a complete ban, as many media outlets are writing. However, anyone who drives with tires that only have the “M+S” symbol on them from October 1st must pay close attention to the weather. The transition period for products with the “M+S” designation that were produced before January 1st, 2018, ends at the end of the month. At the time, these still met the so-called “situational winter tire requirement,” meaning they were considered winter tires under traffic law.
But that changed with the stricter winter tire requirement that came into force in June 2017. Since 2018, new winter tires have been required to display the 3PMSF pictogram, i.e. the snowflake symbol. The old tires were given a grace period that is now ending. “M+S” tires without a snowflake symbol that were produced after January 2018 were never considered winter tires anyway. They are rarely or no longer found in stores.
However, “M+S” tires are not generally prohibited – that can be an important detail. They may only no longer be used from October onwards in the case of “black ice, snow, slush, ice or frost”. In dry weather, there are no restrictions on use that would result in a fine. However, if you consider that the transition period applies to tires that are at least seven years old on the deadline, a change for reasons of age alone would not be the worst idea. The age of the tires can be easily determined from the DOT number on the sidewall. The four-digit number indicates the production date in calendar week and year. “2021” would therefore not be the year, but the 20th calendar week of 2021.
For “M+S” winter tires, a fine of up to 100 euros and one point
If you are caught with old tires in winter weather from October onwards, it will be expensive and annoying. If you are caught driving with tires that are not suitable for the weather conditions, you will pay 60 euros and receive a point. If you obstruct someone, the fine rises to 80 euros. If you endanger someone, it is 100.
The reason for the change to the snowflake is quickly explained: There was no official testing required for the “M+S” symbol. So if a manufacturer was of the opinion that its tire, no matter how poorly, was suitable for “mud” and “snow”, it could use the marking.
The 3PMSF label, on the other hand, better known as the snowflake or “Alpine symbol”, may only be used if the tire has passed various tests and is therefore objectively suitable as a winter tire. This does not guarantee absolute safety either, as there are better and (significantly) worse products among tires with a winter approval. But at least the symbol guarantees a uniform minimum level of performance.
The weather decides when to change
The much-vaunted rule of changing tires “from October to Easter” is not a law, by the way. You can drive with summer tires as long as the weather allows. Only the “situational requirement to use winter tires,” i.e. the weather, dictates when the change must take place. October can therefore be suitable for summer tires – and April is still far too wintry.
There are no rules the other way around: using winter tires in the summer is legal. The explains why this is still a bad idea.
Source: Stern
I’m a recent graduate of the University of Missouri with a degree in journalism. I started working as a news reporter for 24 Hours World about two years ago, and I’ve been writing articles ever since. My main focus is automotive news, but I’ve also written about politics, lifestyle, and entertainment.
