> Politicians largely don't want to touch this issue, I think, because they're often the target of blame when the roads are insufficiently cleared and people have trouble getting around.

I think they don't want to touch this issue because it's really hard to solve.

You can write a law saying all vehicles need winterized tires during that time of year. But how exactly would you enforce it? We already struggle to enforce something as simple as an outdated inspection sticker which can be determined at a glance on the road. How exactly would you enforce something that can't be determined as easily?

Without the ability to enforce this sort of law, reducing or eliminating road salt would result in far more traffic, accidents, injuries, and deaths.