Brno - Tyre sales and tyre services' revenues are growing in the Czech Republic as a driving law amendment has made the use of winter tyres mandatory on selected highland roads between 1 November and 30 April.
The newly introduced blue sign with a white snowflake has prompted some drivers to switch to winter tyres earlier than in previous years. Drivers who have so far used summer tyres throughout the year are now buying a winter set to avoid a fine.
"The new signs have a big influence on customers. They used to change tyres only after the first large snowfall; this year they came to get winter tyres before the new rule kicked in. I haven't seen a similar demand for a while - it's up to 50 percent higher than in past years," says Jaroslav Kučera from Pneuservis J+J in Mariánské Lázně.
Kamil Janiš, who works for a tyre service in Brno, confirms the trend. "We had several customers who bought [winter] tyres only because the sign appeared also on the highway they use. This year's demand is definitely higher than last year's," he says.
New rules, or bad weather?
But some tyre services think an early arrival of winter rather than the new regulation is behind the surge.
"Weather is certainly a larger factor than some signs. The demand for our services is now about 10 to 20 percent higher, mainly due to the weather. Until people see snow, they never think about changing tyres," says Jiří Šebek from Prague's tyre service Šebek.
Jiří Hajný from Pneuservis in Příbram and Roman Pecha from Zavadil in Ostrava say November is usually the busiest month and that this year the business is about the same as in the past.
Yet, internet shops have recorded growing sales of winter tyres. Online retailer Kasa.cz has sold 90 percent more tyres this year than in the same period of 2007.
"Using winter tyres in winter is a must - they are safer than summer tyres," says Zuzana Ambrožová from BESIP, a governmental road safety agency. "It doesn't matter as much if there is a sign - drivers themselves are increasingly aware of what they should do in winter. Reasonable and experienced drivers are now changing tyres and they have done so in previous years too."
