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Attention drivers! From 15 November onwards road vehicles must be fitted with the prescribed winter equipment.

It is important to be well prepared for the sudden changes in the weather, and thus in driving conditions that are frequent in winter. Although the autumn has been quite mild this year, we are now facing the period when safe driving becomes particularly important. Low temperatures, ice and snow can cause considerable hazards to road traffic, including snow on the roads, snowy surfaces, black ice. It is therefore important to ensure that motor vehicles and also trailers are fitted with suitable winter equipment in good time.

Advice for easier and safer driving in winter conditions:

  • Keep an eye on the weather forecast.
  • Avoid non-urgent journeys when it is snowing.
  • Expect your journey to take longer, so set off earlier than usual.
  • Reduce speed and adapt it to conditions and the state of the road surface.
  • Increase the safety distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you.
  • Brake carefully and, if necessary, gradually, pressing the pedal repeatedly.
  • Do not make sudden changes of direction, since this can cause the vehicle to skid (the same applies to moving off too suddenly).
  • It is important to choose the right gear: too little power to the driving wheels reduces steering efficiency and makes necessary steering adjustments ineffective, while too much power causes the driving wheels to slip and the vehicle to skid.
  • Drive as smoothly as possible, avoiding brusque acceleration or braking.
  • Be particularly careful on exposed sections of road (on viaducts, in cuttings, etc.) where black ice is more frequent.
  • Stay calm when driving and be patient with other road users. In such conditions, driving culture and tolerance are particularly important.

The most important factor in ensuring safe use of the road when driving conditions change is a suitably prepared vehicle. Preparation should include checking the vehicle and its equipment before the winter. Not only tyres, brakes, steering and lights, but a number of other things that the vehicle user should check carefully well before winter begins:

  • Battery - check, clean and grease cable connections and check the level of electrolyte in the cells.
  • Lights, windows and mirrors - before every trip make sure that lights, windows and mirrors are not frozen.
  • Cooling system - check the density and level of the cooling fluid.
  • Air intake system - it is a good idea to check the presence of foreign bodies in the system (litter or dry leaves).
  • Engine oil - the oil level must always be between the two marks (max-min) on the dipstick.
  • Windscreen washer system - check the quantity of water in the reservoir and add a sufficient quantity of antifreeze.
  • Windscreen wiper blades - check for wear and replace if necessary.
  • Fan belt - check the condition and tension of the belt that drives the alternator, the cooling fluid pump and other devices.
  • Fuel feed system - in the case of diesel-engined vehicles it is a good idea to check the fuel filter and change it if necessary.
  • Door seals - coating them from time to time with a suitable substance (e.g. glycerine) stops doors freezing shut on cold days despite the damp.
  • Door and boot looks - spraying them occasionally with WD 40 or a similar penetrating anticorrosion product will prevent locks from freezing up.

Winter equipment for motor vehicles and trailers:

Article 114 of the Road Traffic Safety Act (ZVCP-1-UPB5, OJ RS, No 56/08)provides that between 15 November and 15 March of the following year and in winter conditions when falling snow adheres to the road or the road is covered by snow, sheet ice or black ice (point 88 of Article 23(1)), motor vehicles must be equipped with the prescribed winter equipment.

Winter equipment is prescribed in Articles 8 and 9 of the Rules on road vehicle devices and equipment (OJ RS, No 17/00 and 45/04).

In accordance with provisions of these Rules, winter equipment is as follows:

  1. In the case of motor vehicles whose maximum authorised mass does not exceed 3,500 kg, and the trailers pulled by them:
    • winter tyres on all wheels or
    • summer tyres and properly fitting snow chains for driving wheels or devices equivalent to snow chains. Four-wheel-drive (4WD) vehicles must have snow chains at least for the back axis in the case of permanent 4WD and at least for the permanently engaged axle in the case of engageable 4WD.

      Conditions for the use of snow chains are met when the quantity of snow on the road is such that when driving the tyre does not come into contact with the road surface (a snow trail remains behind the tyre);

  1. In the case of (double-track) motor vehicles whose maximum authorised mass exceeds 3,500 kg, and the trailers pulled by them:
    • winter tyres at least on the driving wheels or
    • summer tyres and properly fitting snow chains for driving wheels or devices equivalent to snow chains. Four-wheel-drive (4WD) vehicles must have snow chains at least for the back axis in the case of permanent 4WD and at least for the permanently engaged axle in the case of engageable 4WD. The equipment of these vehicles must also include a shovel.
  1. The minimum tread depth on tyres counting as winter equipment is 3 mm.
  1. Winter tyres are those tyres bearing the manufacturer's mark 'M+S' on the sidewall.
  1. Notwithstanding the conditions described above, summer tyres shall be considered winter equipment for vehicles circulating in the coastal area of Slovenia. The coastal area is the area limited by the Adriatic coast, the border with Italy, the border with Croatia and the following roads (which are included in this area):
    • G 1-7 Krvavi Potok border crossing-Kozina,
    • R2-409 Kozina-Klanec,
    • G 1-10 Klanec-Kastelec and
    • R3-623 Kastelec-Podgorje-the border with Croatia.

Tyres on vehicles with a maximum authorised mass of 3,500 kg (inclusive) capable of reaching a speed of over 40 km/h must be of the same size, type (summer, winter, off-road) and construction (radial, cross ply), while tyres on the same axis must also have the same load rating, speed rating and tread pattern and be made by the same manufacturer. Winter tyres may have a speed rating that is a maximum of two ratings lower than the speed rating specified by the vehicle manufacturer. (Note: tyre speed ratings: Q up to 160 km/h; S up to 180 km/h; T up to 190 km/h; H up to 210 km/h; V up to 240 km/h; W up to 270 km/h and Y up to 300 km/h).

Under Article 59 of the Road Traffic Safety Act, motor vehicles and trailers registered in another country must in winter conditions have the winter equipment prescribed for motor vehicles and trailers registered in the Republic of Slovenia.

A driver whose vehicle does not have suitable winter equipment in winter or in winter conditions is liable under Article 114 of the Road Traffic Safety Act to a fine of EUR 120 or, if traffic is obstructed or prevented as a result, to a fine of EUR 400. A legal person or sole trader committing this offence shall be liable to a fine of at least EUR 1,200 (and the responsible officer to a fine of at least EUR 120), or, if traffic is obstructed or prevented as a result, to a fine of at least EUR 4000 (and the responsible officer to a fine of at least EUR 400).

Under Article 115 of the Road Traffic Safety Act, violation of the provisions of the Order on road traffic restrictions in Slovenia renders the driver liable to a fine of EUR 200, a legal person or sole trader to a fine of at least EUR 4,000 and the responsible officer to a fine of at least EUR 400.

On the basis of Article 239 of the Road Traffic Safety Act a police officer shall prohibit further running and remove from circulation a motor vehicle or trailer which in winter conditions does not have the prescribed winter equipment or if there is snow, ice, water or other substances on it which could affect the driving characteristics of the vehicle or which could scatter or pour from it, or if the vehicle's windows or rear-view mirrors are not clean. The removal from circulation of the vehicle shall last until the grounds on which the measure was ordered are removed.

In accordance with Article 114(4) of the Road Traffic Safety Act a police officer shall order the removal of a vehicle that comes to a standstill on a road because it does not have the prescribed winter equipment and should have, or is in circulation when it should not be, if the driver does not immediately remove it from the road. In such a case the vehicle shall be removed by a regular road maintenance contractor at the owner's expense.

Pursuant to the Order on road traffic restrictions in the Republic of Slovenia, goods vehicles with trailers, vehicles transporting hazardous goods and vehicles transporting exceptional loads are prohibited from using roads in Slovenia on which winter conditions prevail.


Drive carefully!