Are your winter tires safe?

There's still some time to go before quebec law obliges you to put winter tires on your vehicle: (the legal deadline is december 15. The idea is to make our roads safer for winter driving.    So much for the roads.  But how about your winter tires: are THEY safe?

This  happened this week in Repentigny,  just north-east of montreal, where someone went on a tire theft spree, putting three cars up on blocks and in all three cases, taking off with brand-new winter tires, and the wheels, of course.

Repentigny police won't speak of a tire theft rash, but rather of isolated incidents.  And while other area police forces -- montreal, longueuil and laval -- say they haven't heard of a winter tire crime "spree", they agree it's bretter to be safe than sorry.

Our own car guru and master mechanic Lisa Christansen of the CJAD Car Show says you can ask your car dealer or local mechanic for a wheel lock: it's a special lugnut for which you nweed a special key before rmoving.   Lisa says it won't completey stop a tire or wheel thief, but it will slow him down considerably.

Not sure if your tires are acceptable under the winter tire law? Click on the link in this story, and link up to the winter-tire page at the Quebec auto insurance board.

CLICK HERE: winter tire laws