Remember to follow Oregon’s chain law going into winter

OREGON – It’s that time of year, Ice and snow have started to hit some of Oregon’s highways. Depending on conditions, state law requires vehicles of specific size and weights to use either snow chains, or at least traction tires. The specific requirements will change depending on the accumulation of ice and snow in a given area, with posted “snow zone” signs (see above) indicating how drivers need to legally equip their vehicles.

Explaining the signs from left to right, snow zone signs that state, “carry chains or traction tires,” specifically mandate, according to ODOT:

• “You must have chains or traction tires in or on your vehicle and they must be the right size for your vehicle and of sufficient number to comply with the Minimum Chain Requirements.

Snow zone signs that state, “chains required on vehicles towing or single driving axles over 10,000 GVW,” mandate:

• “You must use chains if your vehicle is rated 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight (GVW) or less and is towing. You must use chains on any single drive axle vehicle rated over 10,000 pounds GVW whether towing or not. Chains must also be used on the trailer or vehicle being towed as described under Minimum Chain Requirements.”

Snow zone signs that state, “chains required on vehicles towing or over 10,000 GVW,” mandate:

• “You must use chains if your vehicle is towing or rated more than 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight (GVW). Chains must also be used on a trailer or vehicle being towed as described under Minimum Chain Requirements.”

And lastly, snow zone signs that state, “chains required. Traction tires allowed on vehicles under 10,000 GVW,” mandate:

• “You must use chains if your vehicle is towing or is rated over 10,000 pounds GVW. Chains must also be used on a trailer or vehicle being towed as described under Minimum Chain Requirements. If your vehicle is rated 10,000 pounds GVW or less and is not towing, you must use chains or traction tires.”

While safety should be its own incentive, failure to abide by the Oregon chain law can result in traffic violations. Penalties could range from a class C violation for standard weight vehicles to a class A violation, over eight hundred dollars, for commercial vehicles. Also keep in mind that studded tires can only legally be used in Oregon from November 1 through March 31.

For more information on minimum chain requirements for specific vehicle and trailer types, visit https://www.tripcheck.com/Pages/Minimum-Chain-Requirements

More details on traction tires can be found at https://www.tripcheck.com/Pages/Traction-Tires

For current road and weather conditions, see ODOT’s interactive map at https://www.tripcheck.com/

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Elkhorn Media Group