As Luxembourg's Bridges and Roads Administration gears up for winter with "dry salting" tests, motorists should remember to switch to winter tyres as temperatures continue to drop.

Luxembourg road authorities are once again launching their annual winter road safety programmes. Over the next few days, the Bridges and Roads Administration will begin their "dry salting" operations.

This is a rehearsal exercise in anticipation of bad weather during which they will be salting certain roads with reduced quantities of salt: five grams per square metre over a distance of five kilometres, without using snowploughs.

"In order not to disrupt morning rush hour traffic, the motorway service and each regional service will be carrying out these tests between 3am and 6am", stated an Administration spokesperson. The real salting with larger quantities will be carried out later, if there is a risk of black ice.

Motorists should equally remember to prepare: winter tyres will be compulsory as soon as Luxembourg experiences winter conditions. According to the Road Traffic Act, winter tyres must be fitted "in the event of black ice, packed snow, slush, or patches of ice or frost".

As there is no precise date, police recommend switching to winter tyres as soon as temperatures fall below 7°C. For those who prefer more specific instructions, the police recommend fitting cars with winter tyres from October onwards and switching back to summer tyres around the Easter holidays.