CHEBOYGAN — Snowmobile instructor and Cheboygan County Sgt. Earl Manuel said as soon as snowmobiles can get on the trails, crashes tend to follow.
“The biggest mistake that we see is people driving too fast and really not being experienced enough on the snow machine.”
According to the International Snowmobile Riders Association, each year brings nearly 14,000 snowmobile crashes throughout the United States with almost 200 of those accidents ending in deaths.
“Don’t drink and ride, I know there might be a subset of the culture that thinks that’s a fun thing to do, but we don’t recommend that. The three main causes of snowmobile accidents are speed, driver inexperience, and alcohol. They pretty much can all be labeled in one of those three categories or multiple of those categories,” said Manuel.
Snowmobiles can reach speeds of 70 to 80 miles per hour or more depending on the brand. On icy trails with limited traction Manuel said checking trail and weather conditions before riding is critical.
“A lot of our crashes that I’ve seen happen when the corners seem to sneak up on people. It just comes right back down to going too fast. So, as they’re trying to go around the corner, the trail could be icy,” said Manuel.
Unlike a car, there’s little protection if something goes wrong, but wearing proper safety gear can reduce the risk of serious injuries.
“We recommend dressing in some thick layers. A lot of our guys wear a chest protector underneath the snowmobile outfit.”
Manuel also said nearly all snowmobile crashes come down to three factors; speed, inexperience, and alcohol.
“By the time you see a hazard in the trail between your action time and stopping, you’re going to hit whatever that is.”
Manuel said the best thing to keep in mind this winter is slow down, gear up, and don’t drink and ride.