Studded tires could spike in cost

By Krystle Henderson/KTVL.comMEDFORD, Ore. - Studded tires could come in handy with the winter weather that's expected to move in this week but soon those tires might end up costing you more. State lawmakers are talking about adding a fee for using studded tires on Oregon roads.There will be fewer and fewer and fewer people that will put studded tires on and that's okay if you're in Medford on the valley floor, if you drive enough in the mountains that you justify studs, then that's a bad thing, Ed Miller said, who is the owner of Ed's Tire Factory in Medford. One proposed bill would cost drivers $10 per studded tire. Another bill would require drivers to buy a permit. Experts say studded tires cause as much as $40 million worth of damage on Oregon roads per year. The money raised by the fees could help pay for repairs.But tire experts say the extra cost could have drivers paying a different price: their safety. There's no question it tears the roads up but you have to trade that against the lives that it saves, Miller said.Tire experts say there are other traction tire alternatives but they're not as effective as studded tires when driving over ice. A studded tire penetrates the ice and there's no substitute for that, Miller said. ODOT says studs make cracks in the pavement, which can collect water and freeze, causing slick and icy conditions.The House Transportation Committee will hear the studded tire measures on Wednesday.