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Snowmobile Safety Week Across Ontario

Dryden, ON, Canada / CKDR
Mike Ebbeling
Jan 20, 2021 | 7:09 AM


Snowmobile Safety Week Across Ontario

Provincial Police are urging local riders to use caution when venturing out as part of Snowmobile Safety Week.

OPP say excessive speed, driving too fast for the conditions and alcohol and drugs are top contributing factors in snowmobile deaths.

Sergeant Kerry Schmidt adds 40% of OPP-investigated fatal snowmobile incidents in the last 10 years have occurred on lakes and rivers.

Six people have lost their lives in Ontario snowmobile incidents so far this season, including three who died when their machines broke through the ice on Georgian Bay on January 17.

Schmidt says these latest incidents are a tragic reminder of the serious risks associated with snowmobiling on frozen waterways.

“Keep in mind that no ice is ever considered safe ice and drownings still happen in winter. Actually about 35% of all drownings happen between October and April and most of those are male snowmobilers that have gone through the ice.”

Schmidt says “The thickness of ice can vary greatly from one end of the lake to another. Some factors obviously are temperature or maybe the snow cover covering the water, but also movement of water underneath the ice, the changing levels of water.”

Schmidt adds vehicles travelling on top of the ice can cause cracks to form which can result in open water.

He stresses make sure you use caution at all times, be aware of where you are, stay on approved trails and always be prepared for an emergency.

Officers across northwestern Ontario will be out this week ensuring operators know and follow provincial and municipal regulations.

Here are some reminders from the OPP as you hit the trails:

-In order to operate a Motorized Snow Vehicle off private property, including traveling on designated trails or across/along a portion of roadway, operators are required to be over 16 years old and possess a valid driver’s license or Motorized Snow Vehicle Operator’s License (MSVOL), and have with them all required operating equipment, any required trail permits, proof of snowmobile ownership, and proof of valid insurance. Failing to produce any of these documents to a police officer or conservation officer when asked could result in a fine of up to $1,000. Operations within municipal areas may also be restricted.

-Youth aged 12-15 who are not eligible for a driver’s license may apply for a MSVOL, which allows them to operate their MSV on snowmobile trails so long as all other permit and insurance requirements are met. A MSVOL does not allow operators under 16 years old to travel along or across a roadway, even if it is a portion of a designated trail system. In order to cross a roadway, MSVOL operators must dismount and allow a licensed driver to operate their MSV across these portions of the trail. Youth under the age of 12 are limited to operating MSVs on property owned by the MSV owner.

For more information about driver requirements and snowmobile safety, visit www.opp.ca, or the Ontario Ministry of Transportation’s website at http://www.mto.gov.on.ca.

To learn more about safe snowmobiling on Ontario’s trails and to access Interactive Trail Guide, please visit www.ofsc.on.ca.