Hankook Tire's Quarterly Gauge Index Reveals How Americans Maneuver the Winter Roads

WAYNE, N.J., Dec. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Winter is officially underway and Hankook Tire America was curious to know how American drivers are when it comes to preparing for the inevitability of unfavorable road conditions. This season, Hankook Tire conducted its Quarterly Winter Gauge Index and asked 1,347 Americans to weigh in on what is on their minds when it comes to winter driving. 

The Hankook Tire Winter Gauge Index found that most Americans are comfortable driving in the snow with seventy-five percent (75%) of Americans saying they are fine with it. When it comes to the region that is most comfortable, the gauge revealed that drivers in the west are more comfortable than the Northeast and Midwest.

While the majority of American drivers may feel they are comfortable in harsh conditions, everyone has their limits when driving through a winter wonderland. The Hankook Winter Gauge revealed that sixty-five percent (65%) of drivers feel that six inches of snow or more is a deterrent for getting on the road. It may come as no surprise that drivers in the south do not share the same sentiment, with fifty-four (54%) percent saying that anything over 5 inches is unacceptable when it comes to driving in the snow.

Snow is not the only obstacle winter throws at drivers. The cold weather also can take a toll on car batteries, in which case drivers have to be prepared to break out the jumper cables on those frigid mornings. The Gauge revealed that sixty-six percent (66%) of American drivers have at some point had to jumpstart their car. However, fifty-four percent (54%) of drivers do not know how to properly do it, with twelve percent (12%) saying they flat out do not know how to and forty-two (42%) saying they believe they connect the cables to the dead battery first when beginning the procedure. Of course, the proper way to jumpstart a car is by first connecting the cables to the working battery before connecting it to the one that is not working.

"Our Hankook Quarterly Gauge Index continues to be an invaluable tool for gaining captivating insight from the American driver," said Henry Kopacz, Hankook Tire America Corp. Public Relations and Social Media Manger. "This survey showed some intriguing results for the winter driving season."

The Hankook Tire Gauge Index was conducted on December 17-18 by Vision Critical on behalf of Hankook Tire America Corp. Additional findings from the survey include:

• Sixty-one percent (61%) of Americans will be staying home on New Year's Day; Sixty-three percent (63%)of Americans going out on New Year's Eve said that driving will be their means of transportation
• Seventy-five percent (75%) of Americans going on a road trip this winter said they will be traveling with a family member
• Seventy-three (73%) of Americans say they will be traveling 100 miles or more on their holiday road trip

About Hankook Tire America Corp.

Hankook Tire America Corp. is a growing leader in the U.S. tire market, leveraging investments in technology, manufacturing and marketing to deliver high quality, reliable products that are better for consumers and the environment.  Headquartered in Wayne, N.J., Hankook Tire America Corp. markets and distributes a complete line of high performance and ultra-high performance passenger tires, light truck, SUV tires, as well as medium truck and bus tires in the United States.

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SOURCE Hankook Tire America Corp.