With an eye towards road safety, nearly 30,000 Manitobans have signed up for the province’s new winter tire low-interest financing program, Justice Minister James Allum and Manitoba Public Insurance announced today.
“The overwhelming positive response confirms that Manitoba drivers make their road safety a priority,” said Minister Allum, minister responsible for Manitoba Public Insurance. “This low-interest winter tire financing program allowed Manitobans to equip their vehicles with snow tires, which offer a number of safety advantages.”
The low-interest winter tire program was first introduced by the Government of Manitoba last fall and administrated by Manitoba Public Insurance.
“This was a pilot project which will be reviewed over the next few months to determine whether it will move forward,” said MaryAnn Kempe, vice-president, Business Development & Communications and Chief Product Officer, Manitoba Public Insurance.
“From a road safety perspective, winter tires are very effective in reducing braking distances by lessening sliding on ice and snow. This action could prevent a collision.”
Quick Facts:
- The average length of a winter tire loan was 2.99 years.
- The average purchase was $1,200.
- At temperatures just below freezing on dry pavement winter tires have been shown to reduce stopping distances by as much as 30 per cent compared with all-seasons.
- Winter tires offer significantly better traction on snow-covered or icy road surfaces at temperatures well below -30°C than an all-season tire has at 4°C.