Car Hire and Snow Tyres / Snow Chains

The law requires you have snow chains in the boot if it starts to snow. So, if you arrive to pick up your hire car adn the weather at the moment calls for snow chains then the company has to provide the car ready to drive. If its sunny and hot, then no. Simple - �� law says its always your fault whatever happens and for whatever reason. Here in Sicily we also have to have snow chains on the road between Modica and Ragusa. IT never snows. It never goes below freezing, though four years ago it did sleet for 10 minutes once. In order to avoid the understandable wrath of drivers they have put the sign after the entrance to the road - so you dont see it until you're on the road. With no snow chains you must leave at the next exit - which is Ragusa. ANAS is covered by law - ie if there is terrible weather its your fault you werent prepared, and we dont buy snow chains, because its our fault we cant see the road sign. Everyone happy.

Ram, thanks for your comments; here ANAS have published in the press that you must have chains or snow tyres to travel even on the local roads. Silly thing is they publish one ruling for the province of Ascoli Piceno, and a different one for the province of Fermo. Ascoli say chains etc only over a certain height above sea level, Fermo everywhere, and in fact one guy last year was fined for not having snow kit as he drove along lungomare at Porto San Giorgio to admire the seascape on a lovely day. Maybe some cop looking for his monthy bonus... Here too the warning signs are after you have entered the sliproad, but don't require you to leave at the next exit. It matters not if there is snow or glorious sunshine; if you are not suitably equiped after 15 Nov. you will be fined. My grouse is with the hire companies (Hertz and Avis) who insist I pay extra to hire a legally equiped car. I can drive a car hired from them out of their depot, a cop could be waiting at their exit, could stop me and fine me. They supply the car, but are not liable for it to be roadworthy. Incidentally; we have binned the idea of hiring a car and are going to travel by train...

If you enter a road on a slip road, and then see a sign, you must leave at the next exit - you cannot do U turns etc - its a logic that may be lost on a local bobby but they'll give in in the end. Re car hire companies - you would think so, but its like if you are travelling with a kid, you must have a child seat. Hertz should supply it to be legal? Never in a million years. Probably in the very very small print it says that they give you four wheels and a petrol tank. Everything else it down to you. - I once had a similar problem in the UK - rented a car and after a day it rained - turned on the wipers and ... nothing. Then got stopped by the police. My fault - even though I was driving back to hire car company to change the car. You apparently choose to drive , the HCC doesnt force you to... ah if only we all the had the money to hire cars we dont drive.

The alternative is that the winter hire cost includes the cost of snow chains without any option. Let's face it, the car hire companies are not going to supply chains for free just because you have pointed out a legal obligation against them.