Why are there so many Michigan snowmobile Fatalities?
Snowmobiling
is a sport... it's a down right deadly sport... if you make it that way.
But why is it, there are so many snowmobile fatalities? Some are alcohol
related, some are speed related and some are caused by riders who are totally
unfamiliar with the area they're riding in. What can be done to curb the
number of snowmobile deaths each and every season?
This Michigan snowmobile season for example, snowmobiling really didn't
get off and running until after January 15th. Yet, already seven
snowmobile fatalities have occurred in Michigan's Upper Peninsula so far. The
season isn't over.
One thing we know for sure, the less snow we
acquire the less accidents occur. Where the snow falls in the U.P. is
important. I call it snowfall accommodating.
Ordinarily during winter, the U.P. is sprawling
with adequate snow fall; from north to south and from east to west. In a
typical season, thousands upon thousands of snowmobilers share a wealth of
trails, linking one community to another through an elaborate network of
snowmobile travel.
Disconnect any one of those links by the lack of
significant snowfall to an area and you have limited trail distances. In
short, the snowfall short-fall confines a large snowmobile population to a
snow-rich area, and thus the more traffic and activity levels to it.
Throughout that activity you'll find a higher degree or percentage of riders
funneled in to it. The good, bad and the ugly all confined to a limited degree
of travel.
Snowmobiling to most all snowmobilers is about
traveling through the winter out of doors; the independence, the solitude,
freedom to explore and most of all, a winter outdoor travel vacation from mass
confusion.
Add a few thousand snowmobilers (good, bad and
ugly) to a confined area, and pretty soon you discover you haven't escaped
anything, but rather joined another mass confusion Mecca.
Snowmobiling isn't fun at all when you're traveling
a straight, groomed trail at 50 mph and your day is filled with sleds passing
you by at 100 mph or more. Snowmobiling isn't any fun when you round a
hair-pin corner and find yourself nearly side-swiped by a trail hog several
times out the day.
If snowmobile trails were spanned out further and
having adequate snowfall, trail tension would be reduced considerably. But
not so when confined to limited areas of travel.
I've lived here in the U.P. going on 16 years.
Before 1991 I never sat on a snowmombile. I like to believe I saw the best
of times. These days here in the U.P. without adequate trail distance, I
keep mine.
I totally refuse to travel on weekends, I've put my
life in jeopardy a few time doing so. Not any more. Travel at night?
Not anymore as well. Trailer in my sled to snow filled areas? No
longer. If I can't leave my residence and hit the trails to a decent trail
network, I don't go.
A whole lot of factors can be described why there
are so many snowmobile related fatalities. Herding a large population of
snowmobile machines to confined areas certainly adds to the equation. Keeping
your distance from limited trail distances will certainly keep you out of the
headlights of a possible snowmobile trail statistic. A shortened snowmobile
season due to a lack of snowfall should result in LESS snowmobile related
fatalities... one would think.
Keep in mind... speed and alcohol take lives.
2006 ~ 2007 Michigan Snowmobile Fatalities
Adobe PDF file listing up to date Michigan Snowmobile fatalities from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Michigan Snowmobile Fatalities
Adobe PDF file listing 2005 - 2006 Michigan Snowmobile fatalities from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Snowmobile related fatalities.. why are there so many?
There are many factors to why so many snowmoible related deaths. Here's one to add to the equation you probably haven't heard.
Snowmobile News, Articles & Fatalities
National Snowmobile News Articles. Updated daily. Locate snowmobile fatalities from across the nation.
