Column: Snow tires? Yeah, they come in handy

Driving to Troy for a visit with Santa Claus this past Saturday, I must admit it was a white-knuckled journey.

After arriving in the parking lot of Stein’s Market, I had to pry my fingers off the steering wheel. This was after we received our first significant snowfall of the season last week. You see, I didn’t take the time to get those worn-out tires off my car.

Although I’ve spent the past dozen winters where the snow usually melts the next day, I felt confident about my driving ability in slippery conditions. “Just take it slow,” I thought to myself.

It probably took close to a half-hour for me to drive the 18 miles to Troy. The speedometer never got over 45 and hovered around 40 a good portion of the way. On several occasions, I got over to the side of the road to allow vehicles with better tires to easily make their way around me.

The scariest moment was when I approached town. As I’m sure you know, there’s quite a hill leading down into Troy. With those tires, I couldn’t exactly hit the brakes too hard or I might go sliding off the road or into another vehicle. The pulse quickened, the knuckles got even whiter and I was glad my son stayed at home in case something actually did happen.

But in the end, I eased the car into town and got to the grocery store in time to see Santa preparing for his young visitors. While there, I shared my tale with him and I even got some advice on what type of tires to purchase. I shot a few photos for the newspaper, chatted with some nice folks and got back on the road so I could return my vehicle to the safety of the garage.

With another storm approaching, I took time away from the office Tuesday to get studded tires. One of the employees walked out to my car to check on the size and his first reaction: “Boy, I bet you were sliding around!”

So, my first Montana winter snuck up on me a little bit when it comes to snow tires. I now know better.

Drive safely.

(Brad Fuqua is managing editor of The Western News. He can be reached at: thewesternnews@gmail.com ).