Drivers beware: If police catches you without winter tires, fines go up to 800,000 dinars!

If, after November 1, the police stop you driving in the snow or ice without winter tires - the depth of whose treads mustn't be less that 4 millimeters - you will have to pay a fine of 6,000 to 20,000 dinars, while companies who fail to comply with this regulation face a fine of 50,000 up to 200,000. For legal entities, the fines range from 100,000 to 800,000 dinars!

Drivers in Serbia should have winter tires on their vehicles starting on November 1, otherwise they will be subject to astronomical penalties.

Mandatory winter tires are prescribed by the rulebook on the classification of motor vehicles and trailers and technical conditions for road vehicles, which came into force in Serbia in 2012.

It stipulates that from November 1 to April 1, vehicles must be equipped with winter tires on all four wheels, with a tread depth suitable for winter use.

The tread depth on the tire must be at least 4 millimeters to make it safe for winter driving.

Given that the lack of proper tires is treated as a serious technical malfunction, if there is a traffic accident caused by missing winter tires, the driver and the owner of such a vehicle are under obligation to pay all material and non-material damages.

Although winter tires are a huge expense - depending on the size of the wheel and the brand of tires they cost from 8,000 to 80,000 dinars - it is safer to at least have them in the trunk, as snow can start falling suddenly.

Replacing tires in repair shops and tire shops costs from 400 dinars upwards, but this also depends on the type of vehicle, i.e. the size of the wheel. Tire storage in so-called tire hotels, or warehouses, costs from 100 dinars per month per tire, and upwards. Some companies have taken this service to a higher level, with tire cleaning and proper storage.

What you need to know is that summer tires lose their characteristic at temperatures lower than 12 degrees centigrade, though some think this becomes a problem already at 15 degrees. The tire then loses its essential features, provides less grip until the optimum temperature is reached, rendering the breaking distance of the vehicle much longer.

The law, ZOBS, also stipulates that drivers on roads in rural areas must have tire chains in the trunk, while this is not a requirement in the city. In addition to winter tires and tire chains, freight vehicles and buses must also have a shoveal as an obligatory part of their winter equipment!

If there is no snow or ice on the road and the driver is found without winter tires between November 1 and April 1, they will not be penalized if stopped by traffic police, and they also don't have to worry about insurance in the event of a traffic incident.

Namely, the police report states, among other things, what the weather conditions were on the road, so insurance companies act accordingly.

Video: Men: If this sexy chick knows how to put on tire chains, what is your excuse?

(U.Jelic/u.jelic@telegraf.rs)