‘Safety is a shared responsibility’: Snowmobile Safety Week in Ontario

CTV’s Scott Miller with the start of Snowmobile Safety Week amidst one of best snowmobiling seasons and a recent surge in snowmobile fatalities.

There is no question this has been one of the longest and best snowmobiling seasons in the past decade.

“As we sit today, we have over 28,000 kilometers of trail available from all corners of the province. It’s one of those seasons that is a little bit of a throwback to winters of old in Ontario,” said Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs CEO Ryan Eickmeier.

It’s currently Snowmobile Safety Week in Ontario, a mid-winter reminder about how to hit the trails and come home safe. Nine snowmobilers didn’t make it home this winter, killed while driving their sleds.

The most recent, the death of a 19-year-old on a trail near Milverton who struck a tree.

“Speed is usually a major factor in our collisions and injuries and deaths. So, 50 kilometers an hour is the standard speed limit. And I know that people do exceed that limit. But when you do that, it actually puts you and others on the trail in a dangerous situation,” explained Huron OPP Const. Craig Soldan.

Soldan was out patrolling Huron County’s snowmobile trails on Wednesday. He says that of the 20 riders he stopped, everyone was riding safely.

He recommends riders ensure they’ve got a solid helmet, proper insurance, a charged cellphone, and full tank of gas before hitting the trails. Limiting speed and staying on the marked trails will increase your chances of avoiding a crash.

“Safety is a shared responsibility. We’re all out there on the trails looking to have an enjoyable day. If we all keep to the right side of the trail, if we drive the proper speed, and if we respect our landowners and our volunteers, we’re going to have a great day,” said Eickmeier.

“Please make sure you’re playing by the rules. We’ll likely see on the trail because we’ve got a very robust schedule for snowmobile patrol across the province, and I myself will out and about on Sunday, so you might bump into me if you’re out there,” added Soldan.

Ontario’s Snowmobile Safety Week runs from Feb. 9 - 16.