Plan on driving through B.C.? It's time to put on your winter tires

Peopledriving to or through British Columbia should now have winter tires on their vehicle it's the law.

The province requires passenger vehicles be equipped with winter tires between Oct. 1 and Apr. 30 on most highways. That includesthe Atlin Road, Stewart CassiarHighway and Alaska Highway.

Winter tires are important this time of year,even if there isn't snow on the road, explainedScott Maxwell, an official with B.C.'s Transportation Ministry.

"Many times you're driving down a highway and it could be sunny and warm and then you have a shaded corner and that could be a slipper spot," he said.

"You can have black ice, you can have icy conditions."

Drivers without winter tires can face a fine of $109, or have their travel plans disrupted.

"You can actually be turned back at a highway junction and sent back to where you were coming from or somewhere more safe and appropriate," said Maxwell.

A map produced by the province does not indicate that the B.C-sections of the South Klondike Highway or Haines Road are part of the requirement. Maxwell said although those roads pass through the province, enforcement may be more difficult there.

Look for the snowflake or M+S

Winter tires sometimes called alpine or snow tires are marked with a symbol of a snowflake inside a three-peaked mountain placedon the sidewall of the tire.

Mud and snow tires, marked with an M+S symbol, also qualify as winter tires, thoughthe province notesthey are less effective than dedicated alpine snow tires.

The Ministry of Transportation requires winter tires to have at least 3.5 millimetres of tread remaining. It requires at least two matching winter tires on the vehicle's drive axle, but recommends a matching set on all wheels.