10/13/2011
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
REMINDER: Studded snow tires legal in Idaho until April 30
BOISE – The Idaho Transportation Department reminds drivers they can use studded tires to improve vehicle handling in snow and ice. The use of studded tires is legal from Oct. 1 through April 30. Snow has fallen in several of Idaho's higher elevations recently and likely will spread to the rest of the state as winter conditions arrive.
While it is legal to use the tires, the transportation department advises against it unless extreme conditions warrant. Studded tires are snow tires with small metal cleats embedded in the tread.
Using studded tires may cause undue wear on bare roadways. All-season tires with good tread or "studless" tires are good alternatives for most winter driving conditions.
Studded tire laws vary in neighboring states. Authorized start and end dates are:
Montana: Oct. 1 - May 31
Nevada: Oct. 1 - April 30
Utah: Oct. 15 - March 31
Oregon: Nov. 1 - March 31
Washington: Nov. 1 - March 31
Wyoming: Legal all year
For the latest highway and weather conditions in Idaho, call the Traveler
Information Service at 5-1-1. For online updates, visit the website at
511.idaho.gov. Telephone and web reports are a free service provided by ITD and
are accessible 24 hours a day. Reports are updated as conditions change.
The Web includes including options for wireless devices and also provides
images from more than 80 highway cameras located across the state. Idaho 511 shares
576 telephone lines with several other states, minimizing the chance that
callers might get a busy signal during winter storms.
The website also includes links to similar road and weather reports for
adjacent states. Most states provide telephone service (including wireless) for
callers dialing 511 from within the respective state, although locations near
state lines might route calls to a neighboring system.
Idaho's voice-response 511 telephone system enables callers to check highway
conditions in specific regions without pressing numbers on a keypad.
Drivers are strongly encouraged to pull off the highway at a safe location to make 511 calls or have a passenger make the call.