Winter tires in Czechia: what fines drivers face this season

From Nov. 1 to the end of March, drivers in Czechia need winter tires or all-season tires with the “Alpine symbol” — a mountain with three peaks and a snowflake on the sidewall. On-the-spot fines can reach 1,500 crowns, and after a serious accident an insurer may in some cases demand the money it paid out back from the driver at fault.

When winter tires are required

The obligation is not tied to the date alone. Winter tires are needed when a continuous layer of snow, ice or frost lies on the road, or when such conditions can be expected given the weather. Tomáš Smolík of Generali České pojišťovny advises drivers to check not only the temperature at the starting point before a long trip, but also the weather and road conditions along the whole route.

Stricter rules apply on some stretches: where the blue “Winter equipment” mandatory sign stands, tires are required regardless of the weather. If there is no supplementary plate with a time limit under the sign, it applies all year round. Such signs are most often found in the mountains, but also on the D1 motorway between Prague and Brno and on some first-class roads in the Pardubice Region.

Fines and settling with the insurer

A fine can be imposed both for the wrong tires and for tread that is too worn: for a passenger car the minimum is four millimeters. Police can issue an on-the-spot fine of up to 1,500 crowns; in administrative proceedings the penalty ranges from two to five thousand. If the tires endanger traffic, police may also ban the driver from continuing.

If the tread is worn below 1.6 millimeters, the tire fails even the general technical minimum. As traffic expert Roman Budský of Platforma Vize 0 explained, this can be treated as a serious or dangerous technical defect — a fine of up to ten thousand crowns and six penalty points.

The main risk is an accident. According to lawyer Filip Glézl, in cases of serious injury the insurer first compensates the victims under compulsory liability insurance and then, on legal grounds, may recover the money from the driver at fault, with sums running into millions of crowns. Driving on summer tires does not automatically lead to such a claim, he said: the insurer must prove the tires caused the accident. Jiří Moravec of UNIQA agrees: a payout would be reduced only if a causal link between the damage and the wrong tires were proven, and the state of the tread matters too.

Traveling abroad

There are no uniform rules in the European Union, and drivers must follow the rules of the country they are in. Minimum tread differs: 1.6 mm in Germany, Poland and Italy, 3 mm in Slovakia and Slovenia, 4 mm in Austria and Croatia. Deadlines also vary: in Austria winter tires are required from Nov. 1 to April 15 in snow or ice, and in Slovenia from Nov. 15 to March 15 regardless of the weather. In Germany the old “mud and snow” marking is not enough — the symbol with a mountain and a snowflake is required — and Poland has no winter tire requirement.

Penalties are harsher abroad. Igor Sirota of the Central Automobile Club of the Czech Republic said that in Germany or Austria the fine can reach five thousand euros (about 120 thousand crowns) if you block a road and your car has to be towed out. On winter tires, no such fine threatens.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by denik.cz