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Impacts of Studded Tires on Pavement and Associated Socioeconomics

In conjunction with this study, a comprehensive literature search was performed, surveys were sent to other state officials and New England tire dealers, and parking lot surveys were completed during winter and summer months at five Vermont locations. Surveys sent to state officials reveal that in almost all cases the main reason for seasonal restrictions of studs has been a concern over pavement damage from excessive stud use. However, in no case (according to respondents) has a complete study or set of observations been made to quantify or qualify that the seasonal bans have had any true impact at all. It was determined during the parking lot surveys that only 0.8% of vehicles used studded tires in the summer versus 10.3% during the winter. Given the fact that the 0.8% represents only around 6000 vehicles out of 745,000 registered in the state, summertime use does not appear to be a severe problem. Vermont would not appear to be a candidate for a full-scale, year round studded tire ban, given its sometimes-dangerous winter driving conditions; the negative safety effects would most likely be considerable. Given the information presented in this study, proposing regulations that would ban the use of studs in the summertime is seen as a possible option, as it would not affect many citizens overall. This being the case, however, it must be considered as to whether or not it is worthwhile to put forth the effort to do so, as enacting this type of regulation most likely will not have a large effect on the roadways or provide much benefit to the population as a whole. A major drawback of enacting such a policy is the need to enforce the regulations going forward, which may lead to increased overall costs or logistical work. Overall, it does not appear that Vermont has an issue with studded tires being used during the summer months in the areas of the state surveyed, however, it could be a more significant problem in the more mountainous regions. Therefore, the above small-scale policy changes could be considered.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Digital/other
  • Edition: Final Report
  • Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
  • Pagination: 32p

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01358543
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: Report No. 2011-5
  • Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
  • Created Date: Dec 2 2011 4:28PM