I served in Germany, in the army, where winter tyres are the law in the winter. However, if you lived in hilly areas that were snow covered you used studded tyres or snow chains. A lot of British drivers are under the misapprehension that winter tyres will solve all snowy situations, and also some drivers think you only have to fit the tyres to the drive wheels. This is quite wrong and I think British, drivers need educating about winter tyres.