Senate Votes Ban On Studded Tires

LANSING- Michigan drivers would not be allowed to use studded snow tires after next May 1, under a bilí adopted by the Senate Wednesday. The ban on studded snow tires has been a controversial issue in the legislature for y e a r s with the arguments keyed to traffic safety and damage to highways. The Senate vote was 22-12, and the measure was sent back to the House for consideration of Senate amendments. Amendments to the measure would allow use of studd e d tires only on school buses, emergency vehicles and vehicles used by rural mail carriers. Chief Supporter of the ban, Sen. James G. Fleming, KJackson, contended that studs in tires causes millions of dollars of damage to highways, forcing their resurfacing sooner, and created a potential traffic hazard. Fleming claimed the studs cut g r o o v e s which could fill with water in a rainstorm and set up the conditions for hydroplaning. Opponents of the ban argued that new developments in studs, involving the use of plastic, reduced road wear and aided starts and stops of motorists. Use of the studs through next May would allow a final winter season for those motorists who nbw have studded tires.