Tyre chains
Tire chains are no longer something that are only required in European ski resorts. When someone says tire chain you could be forgiven for thinking of extreme winter conditions with waist high snow possibly in Canada or even trying to drive down the side of a icy mountain!
The truth is that the last few winters in the UK have been quite hazardous, much worse than the more mild ones enjoyed between 2000-2008.
When roads are covered in snow or ice snow chains are the ultimate solution in terms of getting traction for your almost any vehicle (think like a watered down tank!). There are lots of more mild alternatives out there for less industrial use such as lightweight easy to fit snow socks or even the new innovation of spray on snow chains, however, tire chains are the ultimate in terms of all the tried and tested solutions out there.
In many European countries which are regularly exposed to extreme winter weather carrying chains in your vehicle is a legal requirement and there are times and areas which, when made aware of, drivers must fit the chains, not doing so could leave you with a fine or something even more serious.
While tire chains (sometimes incorrectly called snow chains) are not likely to become a requirement in the UK any time soon it shows the faith industry experts have in the product to make it the legal standard across Europe.
Tire chains can take a while to fit and you probably don’t want the first time you fit them to be when you absolutely require them to get you out of trouble (although fitting is not difficult), in other words, try fitting them at home when you get them rather than throwing them in the boot and hoping you either:
- Never need to use them,
- Will be able to fit them when you first really need them,
- Have someone with you who can help,
- Will be able to call the equivalent of the AA or RAC to help fit them, its probably not a standard service they offer and if you are stuck in snow its likely that a lot of other people will be so the demand on their serviceresources will be huge.
If you need a more lightweight solution then it might be worth considering either snow socks or some form of spray on chain, if you are really only worried about getting out of your driveway then you probably shouldn’t even be reading this! A better solution for people who just need to get out of a downhill drive onto the road would be either a snow shovel or a some ice melt. An even cheaper alternative would be to buy a bag of salt (brown de-icing salt is cheaper than white but can make a mess!) or even just some traction grit which, when thrown into ice or snow will allow you to drive over it. Take a look at the video below to see this in action.
Ultimately, if you are caught out and don’t have any chains, snow socks, grit, salt, de-icer or even a show shovel, if you can live with the potential consequences and need to get out of a driveway cat littler works a treat!
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