The Ontario Provincial Police and the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) blame riders taking what they call “unnecessary risks” for a rash of snowmobile-related deaths in the province this season.
Recent incidents involving the death of a young girl, a head-on collision and a rider going through the ice are among several incidents that have led to the death of 13 snowmobilers so far this winter, a statistic that has both the OPP and the OFSC concerned.
Last week, an 11-year old girl died after the snowmobile she was driving collided with a transport truck as she attempted to cross Highway 11 in Iroquois Falls. Another collision near Kirkland Lake claimed the life of one driver and left another in critical condition after two snowmobiles crashed head-on.
Then, over the weekend, members of the OPP Underwater Search and Recovery Unit brought to shore the lifeless body of a male driver from a lake near Peterborough, making it the third incident of the season during which a snowmobiler died while riding on unsafe ice.
The OPP said lower than usual snowfall last winter skewed crash numbers because fewer riders were on the trails, but when they are concerned that causal factors — and not random chance — are leading to the higher rates of catastrophic injuries among riders.
Those causal factors include everything from riding on unsafe ice to speeding, alcohol use to driver inattention.
“The vast majority of these incidents are not random ‘accidents’ that can happen to just any snowmobiler. Somewhere along the way, a risk was taken or an error in judgement was made,” says OPP Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair. “Sadly, tragedies occurred at an alarming rate last week and the only way to prevent them is for every snowmobiler to eliminate all forms of risk when riding.”
The OPP and OFSC remind the snowmobile community that family members can positively influence those who take unnecessary risks on a snowmobile. If you suspect that a loved one’s snowmobiling behaviour is placing them at risk, speak up and remind them how important it is to you and your family that they make it home safely after every ride.
