You go ahead and keep believing that.
I used to believe the difference was minimal until I did my own research.
This is an interesting video, interesting in that it compares the different types of tires in the two different seasons.
I take it that you are confident in your driving abilities and there is nothing wrong with that as I wish more people were. However you cannot control those around you who do not have that same amount of confidence.
If you have seen the video, the one time where dedicated winter tires paid off for me was at a stop light. In my rear view mirror I seen some yahoo fishtailing towards me completely out of control and on a course to rear-end me. I took a quick look at both sides around me and there was no traffic and pressed on the gas to get out of his way. I was able to quickly gain traction and move forward to where he just slightly grazed me. I am 100% positive that had I not had dedicated winter snows he would have plowed right into me.
The other challenge is that no matter how confident or prepared you are, road conditions can change in an instant. The video clearly identifies that at a normal driving pace, dedicated winter tires provide much more traction and can be the difference between going into the ditch or running in to the other lane.
The other important point of the video is that it confirms that all season tires are the best choice for summer or rainy conditions.
Generally tires will last either a specific number of kilometers (tread wear) or a number of years (before the rubber gets old and brittle).
Switching between your winter and all season tires will extend the life of the all season tires to cover the cost of the winter tires. Basically, for the cost of a set of rims (steelies if you want to save money), your actual tire cost does not change.
A couple of other advantages of winter dedicated tires are:
* If you use steel rims you save your summer rims from the salt on the winter roads
* Most (if not all) insurance companies give you a discount when you use dedicated winter tires (which cover the cost of the rims).
Personally, I have used dedicated winter tires for a decade or more and I firmly believe they have saved my bacon more than once during some severe winter conditions. I am not one of those assholes who go hog wild just because I have snows as I still drive to the conditions.
I believe there is nothing wrong with having the best set of rubber underneath you for all 12 months of the year, considering that there is really no added cost in the long run.