Half (49%) of Ontario Drivers Put Winter Tires on their Vehicle
Later than Usual Given Winter's Late Arrival

Toronto, ON - Winter's late arrival caused many Ontario drivers to put their snow tires on later than usual, according to a new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of the Ontario Road Builders' Association (ORBA), the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA), Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), and Canadian Tire. Fully one half (49%) of drivers in Ontario who use snow tires say the late-arriving winter snow meant that snow tires went on at least one of their vehicles later than usual - particularly in the GTA where a majority (54%) say they went on later than usual. Drivers aged 18 to 34 (62%) were most likely to delay the installation of their winter tires compared to those aged 35 to 54 (56%) or 55+ (29%) in particular.

Seven in ten (71%) drivers say that they have already put snow tires on all of the vehicles that they intended to, but for three in ten (29%) drivers, the task isn't yet done: 16% say they've outfitted at least one of their automobiles but not all of them, but still intend to. One in ten (13%) drivers admits that they have not put snow tires on any of the vehicles in their household to date, with the proportion rising to 21% among those who live in Southwestern Ontario.

Thinking about when they usually put snow tires on their car, most (57%) say they do so when the weather gets cold and only just before it is expected to be a first snowfall or snowstorm. One in three (32%) like to play it safe and put their tires on long before the first snow falls. One in ten (11%) are a little more cavalier about their timing, saying they put snow tires on only after the first snow fall has occurred, once again with residents of Southwestern Ontario being most likely (17%) to say they wait until the snow flies. Younger drivers aged 18 to 34 are most likely to put their tires on just before the first snow arrives (63%), more so than those aged 35 to 54 (57%) or 55+ (51%).

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between December 30, 2015, and January 3, 2016, on behalf of the Ontario Road Builders' Association (ORBA), the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA), Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), and Canadian Tire. For this survey, a sample of 800 Ontarian drivers who use snow tires from Ipsos' online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within +/ - 4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Ontario drivers with snow tires been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Sean Simpson
Vice President
Ipsos Public Affairs
416.572.4474
[email protected]

About Ipsos in Canada

Ipsos is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos' marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

To learn more, please visit ipsos.ca.

About Ipsos

Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. Ipsos ranks third in the global research industry.

With offices in 86 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across six research specializations: advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, public affairs research, and survey management.

Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of e1,669.5 ($2,218.4 million) in 2014.

Visit ipsos.com to learn more about Ipsos' offerings and capabilities.