Canadians not buying into snow tires: RBC Insurance survey

    MISSISSAUGA, ON, Nov. 18 /CNW/ - Despite Canada's snowy winters, only 57
per cent of Canadian drivers put snow tires on their cars and of the 43 per
cent who don't, half (54 per cent) are not willing to spend the money to do
so, according to an RBC Insurance/Ipsos Reid consumer survey.
    "Installing winter tires should be a critical safety measure for all
Canadian drivers," said Francois Boulanger, president and CEO of RBC General
Insurance Company. "Canadians need to think of it as an investment in their
family's safety."
    Drivers in the Prairie Provinces appear to be most averse to installing
winter tires. Fifty-nine per cent of drivers in Alberta and 69 per cent in
Manitoba and Saskatchewan do not use snow tires on their vehicles. Of those
drivers who don't use winter tires in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, more than
half (57 per cent) are not willing to purchase them. In Alberta, the number
increases to 62 per cent.
    In Ontario, 57 per cent of drivers do not use snow tires on their
vehicles and in British Columbia, the number decreases to about 52 per cent.
    "Drivers in regions that don't typically get heavy snowfall should not
overlook the value of winter tires," added Boulanger. "Preventing even a small
'fender bender' could save them from an insurance rate increase as a result of
an insurance claim."
    In Quebec, where the use of snow tires during the winter months becomes
law on December 15, 2008, 96 per cent of drivers use snow tires; and in
Atlantic Canada where snow fall accumulation is often high, 72 per cent report
using snow tires.

    These are the findings of an RBC Insurance/Ipsos Reid survey conducted
between March 27 and April 10, 2008. The poll was based on a randomly selected
sample of 2,251 adult Canadians, who were interviewed by telephone. With a
sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within +/-2.19
percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the
entire adult Canadian population been polled. The margin of error will be
larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population.
The data was statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and
age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according
to the census data.

For further information: Media Contacts: Kerry Gaetano, (905) 816-5583,
kerry.gaetano@rbc.com; Margie McNeil, (905) 606-1425, margie.mcneil@rbc.com