NB Dept. of Education Watch This: "Extra Margin of Safety" in Winter Tire Demonstration by George Iny of the Automotive Protection Assocation

We were advised today by one of Canada's leading tire experts (more on him later) to watch this winter tire demonstration by George Iny, President of the Automotive Protection Association, which is based in Montreal.



Mr. Iny is well known in the winter tire circles for his advocacy work and this series of six videos explains in great detail how critical it is to have four winter tires - or don't bother at all.



We can't understand why the New Brunswick Department of Education chooses to ignore the advice of experts who know winter tires better than anybody else in Canada.



Will we have to go through another crash like the one that killed our sons nearly two years ago before they realize that they should be listening to experts like George Iny and others across Canada who actually know what they are talking about?



But no, the New Brunswick Department of Education refuses to listen to expert opinion when it comes to winter tires. At least we'll admit we're not experts, but we're doing our research and the experts we've spoken to so far are all telling us that in winter, you use winter tires. Not two all season tires on the front of the Bathurst High School's new multi-function vehicle and four winters on the back. Winter tires on all four axle. What is it about all winter tires that the NB Department of Education doesn't get?



We challenge the Department of Education to tell us who is giving them their advice on school transportation policies that say two all seasons in the front and winter tires in the back of these multi-function vehicles is acceptable? Everyone we have spoken to says that's the OLD WAY OF THINKING. Today, the consensus is that all wheels be fitted with winter tiress. End of story. Yet, the NB Department of Education figures it's smarter than everyone else and refuses to put winter tires on the front wheels of the brand new multi-function vehicles that are transporting children to extra-curricular activities. For what? The sake of $200? The four rear winter tires were graciously donated to the Bathurst High School. We are actually getting to meet with the Minister of Education, Roland Hachey, in November, we will ask, are our children's lives not worth $200?



"The results are actually very dramatic, surprising in even these low speed demonstrations," says Mr. Iny in the final segment of his winter tire demonstration. "The winter equipped tire vehicle always breaked better, almost always went through the corner quite a lot more cleanly than the all season equipped tire. And when you're driving every day, you won't see those differences every day but once in a while, you'll need the extra margin of safety from the better tire and you've got to be equipped for that."

What more can we say?

For more information on the Automotive Protection Association and George Iny, go to the ASA website at www.asa.ca.

Tomorrow, more on winter tires from one of Canada's top experts who says that by putting two all season tires on the front of the new Bathurst High School multi function vehicles and winter tires on the back the Department of Education has actually made the vehicle "UNSAFE".

To quote: "It's better to have no winter tires at all" than to have that combination in winter. Hmmm. Is anybody at the NB Department of Education listening? Maybe it's time to start thinking about changing the Department's policy on winter tires altogether.