Report and Recommendations to the Virginia Department of Highways and Transportation on the Use of Studded Tires in Virginia

About the report:

Since the introduction of studded tires in the United States in the early sixties, the Virginia Highway and Transportation Research Council as stayed abreast of the research and information on their use through literature reviews, participation in the activities of national committees, and personal contacts with people working in the highway field and in related industries. Surveys have been conducted in Northern Virginia, the Valley, and the Richmond and Norfolk areas to determine the extent to which studded tires have been used in these localities and the degree of wear sustained by selected pavements. Since the winter of 1965-66, the Council has submitted biennial reports to the Department setting forth its findings and recommendations on the use of studded tires.

It is the writer's belief that the limited use of studded tires in the state is attributable in part to the past practice of legalizing the use of the tires on a temporary basis, an arrangement under which those people who have felt they really needed them could purchase them. For this reason, and because of the possibility that permanent legalization may bring about a promotional effort by studded tire producers and marketers that will greatly increase use of the tires in Virginia and thus increase pavement wear, it is recommended that the law not be made permanent but be extended for another two-year period.

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