Laws in France, Italy and Austria require drivers to fit winter tyres or carry chains between certain dates. In Germany, winter tires are mandatory for driving on snow, slush and ice. However, Switzerland leaves the decision on whether to fit winter tyres up to drivers.
In Switzerland, there is no legal requirement to fit winter tyres. However, the Swiss Road Traffic Act (Art. 29) requires all vehicles on Swiss roads to be roadworthy, something for which drivers are responsible. Essentially, if you have an accident and the wrong tyres made your car unroadworthy then you could be held responsible for the accident. This may also affect your insurance coverage.
Switzerland has long considered introducing rules on winter tyres. The Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (BFU) would like to see winter tyres made compulsory during winter and would like to see laws put in place to make this a reality. Currently, Swiss law only intervenes when an accident occurs. BFU would prefer to be involved in advance and engage in true prevention.
After years of trying there is no legal requirement to fit winter tyres in Switzerland. Three attempts have been made since 2012. However, the Federal Council is not convinced there is a need to change the law. Out of the roughly 55,000 accidents a year only around 50 occur on snow covered roads.
But as some experts point out, the advantage of winter tyres goes far beyond better traction in snow. Because winter tyres are made from a softer compound, from 7 degrees or below, they perform considerably better on road adhesion and braking distance.
And while winter tyres are not explicitly required in Switzerland, neighbouring countries legally require winter tyres or chains. So anyone wanting to drive into France, Germany, Austria or Italy will need to comply with these rules.
French winter tyre/chain requirements apply from 1 November until 31 March in 48 départements including the parts of France bordering on Switzerland – see map here. Austria also requires winter tyres or chains between 1 November and 15 April – see government website. In Italy, it depends on the region. There is no nationwide requirement. In the Aosta Valley winter tyres or chains are required from 15 October until 15 April. Information on the rest of Italy can be found here. Germany specifies no dates but has made winter tires mandatory for driving on snow, slush and ice.
It is also important to note that tyre treads should be a minimum of 1.6 mm deep for both summer and winter tyres. Any tyre that fails this requirement can trigger a fine of CHF 100 per tyre. Tyres with thinner tread also deem your vehicle unroadworthy.
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