When travelling to European mountainous regions in winter, ensure that you have a set of approved snow chains in your car. This is compulsory and you can be heavily fined if you are stopped by the police and do not have them. It is also mandatory to carry a reflective jacket and a warning triangle in your car. Any vehicle involved in an accident when it is considered that snow chains should be used, it is automatically deemed the fault of the driver without the chains, regardless of the circumstances.
Please note that in any country, including UK, snowchains may only be used where there is sufficient snow covering to avoid any possibility of damaging the road surface:
Andorra
Austria
Denmark *Not compulsory but recommended
France
Germany
Italy
Norway
Sweden
Switzerland
Tyre Tread
You should check the condition of your tyres for pressure and tread depth. Where winter tyres are fitted a minimum tread depth of 3mm is required in most countries (the Czech Republic now requires 4mm). For other tyres, while the legal minimum is 1.6mm the AA recommends at least 3mm of tread for winter motoring, and certainly no less than 2mm (information source: The AA)
If you have never fitted snow chains before then it is advisable to practice fitting and removing them prior to use. Don’t wait until you are caught in heavy snow or a blizzard for your first attempt!
For further information on snow chains click here.
Also see www.snowchains.co.uk
