Drivers cause more damage

Les Spillman’s letter of Dec. 8, “The rut,” bemoans a “studded tire rut” which caused an accident. The incident he describes includes “ice.” That is what caused the accident, or rather the driver’s inability to drive safely for the conditions. If the police had attended, I submit that there would have been a ticket that stated something to the effect of “driving without due care and attention.”

I am not sure if Mr. Spillman is an engineering expert as he seems to talk a lot on the effectiveness of studs. He then goes on to evaluate studs on tires as an effective gripping mechanism on cars. My tire/mechanic’s shop has told me that today’s tire compounds are more effective than studs on ice. As for the “stud ruts,” I refer to the westbound I-90 hill from the 195 exit to Garden Springs. The ruts are wider than a passenger vehicle as was the adjacent Sunset Highway before the now-finished construction. Wider/heavier buses, garbage trucks and ambulances use chains even well after they are needed.

Yes, studded tires cause damage on the roads — but not nearly as much as negligent and incompetent drivers who don’t adapt to conditions.

Colin Harris

Spokane