This has caused a stir, according to the garages in Rezekne. At the same time, the search for these markings has encouraged people to pay more attention to tyre quality, and therefore to safety.
Demand for tire changes peaked a few weeks ago. A garage which has been operating in Rēzekne for 30 years, assessed that car owners are becoming more responsible, indirectly encouraged by the new requirement. Tires with the "M+S" marking but no "mountain and snowflake" are rarely used. They are not safe to drive in summer, let alone in winter, the service station reasoned.
More and more customers change tires in October, and this year too, although at least in Latgale there has been no ice or snow this autumn. The "mountain and snow tire" regulation came into force on October 1 but winter tires must be fitted as of December 1.
Sarmīte Stirāne, Auto SDL garage representative, said: "We felt that whoever has good winter tires also comes looking for new winter tires with the symbol. But they've had them for a long time! There was a bit of a stir, but now it's actually brought more attention to safety."
This garage assessed that fewer people are buying studded winter tires, as many have realized that normal winter tires are also of good quality.
