Snowmobilers — Don’t Become a Statistic

Snowmobiling has become a very popular winter activity for Canadians. However, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) it leads to more injuries than any other winter sport. Snowmobiling injuries are more severe and result in longer hospital stays than other recreational injuries.

Canada Safety Council president Emile Therien blames thrill seekers who ride after drinking, at night, and misuse high performance machines that go up to 190 km/h. "They zoom across roads, open water, any surface, no matter how thin the ice or rough the terrain," he remarks.

In 2003-2004, according to CIHI, snowmobiling accounted for 41 percent of injuries related to winter sports and recreation treated in specialized trauma units. (In comparison, snowboarding accounted for 20 percent, as did skiing.) The average hospital stay was 11 days, and more than one in five required a ventilator. Twenty-five people died in hospital due to snowmobile injuries last year, but the CIHI data do not include those who died at the scene. The most severe injuries were among riders under age 20.

The CIHI data reveal a distinct high-risk profile: a male in his 20s or 30s who operates a snowmobile after drinking on weekend nights. Alcohol was present in almost half of the admissions for serious injury. Of those who tested positive for alcohol, over 90 percent were driving the vehicle. The largest proportion of the incidents (26 percent ) took place in dusk or dark conditions, and almost half occurred on the weekend (25 percent on Saturday and 24 percent on Sunday).

According to the Canada Safety Council, alcohol, speed and darkness are common factors in snowmobile crashes. Drowning is a leading cause of death, and most of the deaths occur off-trail.

The implications for the smart snowmobiler amount to using common sense.

• Ride sober, on approved trails, at posted speeds.
  
  
• Make sure your visibility is good (e.g. avoid going out into driving snow).
  
  
• Before you go on rivers and lakes check with local authorities to make sure they are safe.