As the cold months approach, drivers in Sweden will soon swap out all-season or summer tires for winter ones. With an estimated 60% of those drivers opting for studded winter tires, researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have determined that these tires likely take more lives than they save.

Researchers believe that the impact on public health is greater when considering factors such as emissions from the particles thrown into the atmosphere via damage to pavement from the studs, coupled with fatalities occurring during the production of the tires. Additionally, researchers believe that the production of such tires contributes to the bloody conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the cobalt necessary to create the studs is actually a conflict metal which contributes to warfare in that region.

To reach such a conclusion, researchers examined data concerning the entire life cycle of studded winter tires, beginning with information about how many lives are saved with their use and comparing that with information concerning emissions from road damage as well as production. The team also investigated that information along with numbers concerning fatalities in the DRC.

As such, the team revealed that studded tires used in Sweden specifically saved roughly between 60 and 770 life-years while an estimated 570 to 2,200 life-years were lost each year.

"Taking everything together, the picture is very clear — studded winter tyres actually cost more lives than they save," says Sverker Molander, a professor at the department of technology management and economics at Chalmers.

The factors responsible for the greatest impact on public health are the emissions that result from usage, according to the team’s findings. Alone, that outweighs any of the benefits to be gleaned from driving with the studded tires. Combined with the other factors, the negative impact on public health is compounded, according to the study.

"The small-scale mining, where many accidents and fatalities occur, is the next biggest part of the tyres' overall negative health impact. Deaths linked to the conflict in the DRC are the smallest part, but that being said, there are many aspects of that that have not been included in the study — the conflict of course influences the whole of society. I doubt many people realise that using these tyres is contributing to the situation in the DRC," said Anna Furberg, a researcher from Chalmers.

"This is a clear illustration of what globalised production can result in. People profiting at others' expense. It is not those who benefit from the product who are having to pay for the negative effects," said Chalmers’ researcher Sverker Molander.

Suggesting that good winter tires without studs might be an alternative, Furberg said: "Of course, how you drive is important, and snow-ploughing and sweeping needs to be done properly. Most cars today also have electronic anti-skid systems fitted, which make them safer to drive at higher speeds. But our study shows that there is more research needed concerning alternatives to studded winter tyres that don't cause these health issues."

The research is detailed in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.