Winter tyres and chains France, Germany, Italy

The duty has applied since 2021. It covers vehicles with four wheels or more. Prefects in 34 departments of the Alps, Corsica, the Massif Central, the Jura, the Pyrenees and the Vosges list the communes after consulting local elected officials.

A car, a van or a motorhome chooses: four winter tyres, or removable devices for at least two driven wheels. Metal chains are for frequent use, textile socks for occasional use. Studded tyres are exempt. Only the 3PMSF mark replaces the removable devices. Other snow tyres may still be used, but the devices must then be in the car. The devices must fit the wheel size and the gap to the body.

You do not drive on ice, packed snow, slush or frost unless the tyres on all wheels are fit for those conditions. There is no calendar period. Single-track motorcycles, some farm machines and some emergency vehicles sit outside that sentence. Lorries and buses in classes M2, M3, N2 and N3 may, in those conditions, equip only the permanently driven axles and the front steered axles.

There is no single rule for every road. Outside built-up areas, on roads often hit by snow or freezing rain, the road owner can require winter tyres or anti-skid devices on board. For a common period, that runs from 15 November to 15 April. A high mountain road can use other dates. The sign states the duty. If the devices are used, they go on at least the driven wheels. On a car, winter tyres on all wheels are recommended so the grip is the same. During the period, a two-wheeler may run only if there is no snow or ice on the road and no snowfall in progress.