2020-Feb-17
Ten Years of Data Reveal the Poor Behaviours Behind Snowmobile Fatalities
Between 2009-2019, the OPP investigated 175 snowmobile fatalities throughout the province. The top contributing factors listed were excessive speed, loss of control, driving too fast for the conditions, and ability impaired by alcohol, with alcohol listed as a factor in 45% of the deaths. According to the report, almost half of the snowmobilers who died were traveling on frozen lakes or rivers at the time of the incident. The circumstances that led to the deaths include intentionally driving onto open water (puddle jumping/water skipping), breaking through the ice, and collisions with other snowmobiles and landmarks.
Despite readily accessible information on avoiding accidents and responsible operation of snowmobiles, it appears that the message is still not getting through. GBA urges all snowmobilers to review the statistics and guidelines to learn valuable lessons from these tragedies, which can so easily be avoided. Read more about the report here.