Although it is said every year that winter tires must not be worn out because they endanger the safety of both themselves and other road users, violations persist. Six cars had non-compliant tires during the raid in Kuldīga, with one also stripped of number plates.
The raids, in which CSDD staff check the technical condition of the cars on the road, take place throughout the year. According to the season, this time more attention is paid to the depth of the tire tread, but noise levels and conformity of light devices are also noticed.
Vehicles with a full mass of up to 3,500 kilograms were tested in the raid in Kuldīga. They shall have a minimum permissible tire tread depth of 4 millimeters. More than 200 cars were stopped for inspection during the evening. Violations were detected within the first two hours of the raid, noted Ginta Kārkliņa, the junior inspector of the North Kurzeme Precinct of the VP Kurzeme Region Administration.
Six vehicles had inadequate tires throughout the raid in Kuldīga. For five, the tread depth was about three millimeters. They must check into the CSDD within one month to show that suitable tires have been fitted, while one car with 2.4-millimeter tread depth was stripped of number plates and prevented from moving further.
Guntars, the driver of the car in question, said it was a company car:
"I suppose I'll come to pick up this transport tomorrow. This is a company vehicle. It is used and not being followed up with. we ourselves are guilty."
On the part of the State Police, all six drivers have been issued a warning.
CSDD Technical Department spokesman Uldis Zandbergs, meanwhile, stressed that all drivers of such vehicles are potential triggers of a crash: "Because we have thaw overnight, we have ice the next morning, and clearly with tires like this the vehicle is dangerous. They're probably as dangerous as in every raid like this, we happen to have a drunk driver as well. Today in Ventspils with 1.8 promilles."
During the raid, attention is also paid to those machines whose tires are just at the minimum limit of four millimeters. There were 25 of those in Kuldīga. Drivers are warned about this as tires may become unsafe soon.
The CSDD points out that statistics are similar on an annual basis, but that the number of cars going around with the minimum permissible tire tread depth has decreased. There were 360 such cars registered in 2022 and around 260 last year.
