WATCH: Alan Carter reports that the provincial government will not be making winter tires mandatory.TORONTO – It’s the first major snowfall of 2014 and by the time the morning rush hour ended, Toronto police had dealt with over 100 accidents, and CAA had received over 1,500 calls for service. Ontario drivers aren’t required by the province to equip their cars with winter tires – but is it time they did?  Minister of Transportation Stephen Del Duca says no. He drove through the snow from Vaughan Thursday morning without winter tires and says the decision should be left to drivers.“So people are aware, they have the opportunity to make in many cases alternative arrangements, driving according to the condition of the road, and they have that opportunity as they’ve always had to make that decision as to what fits within their own means,” he said.“As Canadians always rise to the occasion, I’m very proud to be a Canadian, and to understand as I’ve understood throughout my driving life, what it means to drive in winter conditions.”

Progressive Conservative transportation critic Michael Harris has winter tires and he thinks Del Duca and all Ontarians should have them. But would a Conservative government force it on Ontarians? Walk In Bathtub CostcoDon’t count on it.“72 Inch Bathtub SurroundsI would encourage the minister to get a set of snow tires for his vehicle so he not only arrives where he needs to be on time, but for the safety of him, others on the road and especially his family,” Harris told reporters at Queen’s Park. Homes For Sale At Point Sebago“There are a lot of reasons why Ontarians should have snow tires on their vehicle, [but] making it mandatory at this time is something that we wouldn’t of course be interested in doing.”Only Quebec currently requires drivers to buy snow tires.

The tires need to be in place from Dec. 15 to March 15.And they seem to work: analysis done by Quebec’s Ministry of Transport compared accidents in the province between 2003 and 2008 when snow tires weren’t mandatory to the first winter they were, Dec. 15, 2008 to March 15, 2009. The analysis found there were five per cent fewer victims of accidents when winter tires were mandatory.Winter tires: Do you really need to buy the most expensive brand?But Brian Patterson, president and CEO of the Ontario Safety League, says Ontario’s simply not ready for mandatory legislation yet.“I think we lose the opportunity to educate when we immediately regulate,” he said in an interview Thursday.READ MORE: What to do when waiting for a tow truckHe explained that regulation was possible and effective in Quebec because close to 95 per cent of drivers already had winter tires, so closing the gap was easy. But in Ontario, where far less people have winter tires, Patterson said it’s better if people know why they need them first.

In fact, Patterson suggested more people should take advantage of potential discounts on insurance by installing the tires. CAA, Desjardins and Bel Air Direct all offer a five per cent discount on car insurance if winter tires are installed.About Montreal car insuranceWhether you're cruising along Boulevard St.Laurent or heading along Avenue Laurier, the urbane charms of Montreal make an impression on even the most casual observer. This "City of Saints" is anything but when you're on the road, however — driving in Montreal can be a white knuckle experience for motorists coming from out of town who complain about one-way streets, strange traffic laws, and everyone wanting to get where they're going in a hurry. Meanwhile, Montreal natives will tell you that assertive driving works just fine for them, thank you.Because of its location on an island, driving in Montreal can pose other challenges too. The city suffers from traffic congestion on its many bridges and getting around by car can often take longer than expected.

Commuters heading downtown from off-island suburbs like Longueuil and Laval are certainly no strangers to traffic jams and honking horns. Wherever you're driving in Montreal, you'll definitely need a great auto insurance plan. At LowestRates.ca you can find the cheapest car insurance prices from all the top providers – just like that. Most popular brandsAccording to our own data, Montreal drivers like these vehicle brands most: Who shops for auto insurance in Montreal?Here's a snapshot of our Montreal auto insurance users. Driving in Montreal: facts and mythsWinter tires are mandatory. In Quebec, your vehicle must have winter tires from December 15 to March 15. Montreal has advance straight green lights. This signal means you can proceed, but you can't make a right or left turn.It's tough to pass a driving test in Montreal. SAAQ, the provincial body that conducts driving tests, says only 61% of people pass on their first try.The island of Montreal has 5,917 streets, according to Statistics Canada.

Perhaps not surprisingly, over 20% of them are one-way.The most dangerous intersection in Montreal is Highway 40 at Stinson, which averages over 20 collisions per year.MythsRadar detectors are legal within Montreal city limits. Operating a radar detector is illegal in Montreal — just as it is in the rest of Quebec.Montreal is dangerous. Montreal's crime rate dropped 42% over the past 15 years. Crime data show Montreal is the 24th safest city in Canada, ahead of many cities only a fraction of its size.Montreal is cold — year round. Been to Montreal in the summer? The city can be one hot and steamy place, with temperatures reaching well into the 30s.Mount Royal is a dormant volcano. It's just one of eight Monteregian hills rising out of the St.Lawrence plain near Montreal. Montrealers can sleep easy knowing they aren't in a modern day Pompeii. Montreal driving tipsIf you're driving in Montreal during the winter, buy winter tires. It's no secret that Montreal gets lots of snowfall during the fall, winter, and even the spring.