Winter tires are mandatory until March 15, or longer, if it snows later in the year and the snow adheres to the road surface, or there is ice on the road; in winter conditions winter equipment is mandatory regardless of the date.

And what exactly is winter equipment? Rules on Parts and Equipment of Vehicles define that all vehicles must be equipped with winter tyres with tyre thread depth of at least 3 mm. The drivers can also use summer tyres, but in that case they must have also “snow chains of suitable size for driving wheels, or devices equivalent to the snow chains for driving wheels".

If you drive a four-wheel-drive vehicle, you must have snow chains for one axle at least in case of permanent 4WD, and in case of engageable 4WD for the permanently engaged axle at least, warns the police. In the Primorska region, where snow usually causes less problems on the road, summer tyres are permitted, again with the tyre thread depth of at least 3 mm.

Fine: 40 euros; if you are obstructing the traffic: 500
If your vehicle does not have winter equipment, you may be fined. This year, however, the fine is reduced – instead of 120 euros, which was the fine since the Road Traffic Safety Act was passed, this year such violation will cost you 40 euros. But if you obstruct the traffic due to inadequate equipment, the fine will be 500 euros, and 5 penalty points.

Fines for vehicles which have not been cleaned properly
You will have to pay 200 euros for poorly cleaning your car – that's the law! The law says: ”On motor vehicles and trailers here must be no snow, ice, water or other substances which could affect the driving characteristics of the vehicle or which could scatter or pour from it. The vehicle's windows and rear-view mirrors must be clean to allow the driver normal visibility”.