Snowmobiling Safety Tips Provided as Trails Improve in Ontario

As snowmobile trails around the region continue to improve with every snowfall, the number of sledders using those trails increases.

So do the odds of a mishap.

"When it comes to the winter weather, we expect to have increased numbers when the weather is good. However, with the increase in numbers always comes the potential for more collisions and offences," Sgt. Jake Daynes, media co-ordinator for the Ontario Provincial Police's Central Region headquarters, told BarrieToday.

"The OPP encourages snowmobilers to adhere to open Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) trails, as they are maintained throughout the season and remain the safest terrain to ride on," he added.

According to the OPP, more than 150 snowmobilers have died in Ontario over the last dozen years.

Thirty-six per cent of those deaths occurred on frozen lakes and rivers, while 41 per cent of them were linked to impaired driving.

Speeding, driving too fast for the conditions, travelling on unsafe ice and impairment due to alcohol/drugs were the leading causes in these fatalities.

"These (and other) factors tell us that the majority of snowmobile fatalities are preventable," Daynes said.

With Ontario Snowmobile Safety Week beginning on Feb. 11, police are offering advice to sledders that they hope will result in fewer crashes and fewer fatalities.

"It is never 100 per cent safe to snowmobile on ice," said Daynes. "If you do make the personal choice to travel on ice by snowmobile, wait until a marked stake line is in place and cross only when you can follow it directly from shore to shore, without stopping on the ice."

He recommended sledders check with local ice fishing clubs and businesses about current ice conditions, but even that offers no guarantee because conditions can change rapidly.

Additionally, he noted, snowmobilers have died on frozen waterways because they unexpectedly came upon and entered open water.

"In many of these instances, they were driving too fast to slow down and prevent this from happening," Daynes said.

Poor visibility also plays a role, he added.

Throughout the season, OPP snowmobile patrols will work across the province, conducting Criminal Code, Highway Traffic Act and Ontario Motorized Vehicle Act law enforcement.

He reminds snowmobilers that mandatory alcohol screening laws allow police to demand a breath sample from any motor vehicle driver, including snowmobilers, without having suspicion that they have consumed alcohol.

In Ontario you can drive a snowmobile if you have a valid Ontario driver's licence (any class). If you do not have a driver's licence and you are 12 years of age or older, a valid motorized snow-vehicle operator's licence (MSVOL) will allow you to drive on trails established and maintained by a recreational organization for the use of snowmobiles.

"However, you must be 16 years of age or older and have a driver's licence or a motorized snow-vehicle operator's licence (not both) to drive a snowmobile along or across a public road where snowmobiles are allowed," Daynes noted. "As well, you must have proof of valid insurance for your snowmobile, proof of ownership, and the validation of the plate needs to be up to date."

Daynes said riders must wear a helmet whenever they travel on a snowmobile or any kind of toboggan or sled towed by a snowmobile.