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Snowmobile accidents

C

centash

Well-known Member
It seems that after every major snowfall, there are more snowmobile fatalities. One on Saturday night claimed the life of a 43 year old man with a family and an agribusiness. He was president of Snobelen Farms, a grain handling and soybean exporting business well known in this area. Tragic loss for the community.
Ben
 
Thats a shame Ben,sorry to hear of the loss of a family man farmer and prominent community member.
 
I don't know the person that you are referring to but most snowmobile fatalities can be avoided. Most have issues of intoxication surrounding them. Used to be that people rode to see nature but anymore it is a path to a drinking establishment that circumvents DWI checks. One place that closed awhile ago was rumored to be selling drugs by a few of its patrons. The pack of snowmobiles easily numbered 50 or better each when it was open. Any more you are lucky to see 6-10 for an entire evening.
 
Couldn't mist all fatalities be avoided? And just for the record, snowmobiling has no more alcohol related deaths than driving in general, at least here in MN. If course here any ticket on a boat or snomobile goes on your record just like on a car. And WI is the same. Really cut down on that here.
 

I have never seen a correlation to snowfall but there is certainly a correlation with alcohol consumption. The officials usually cite inexperience, which is often the case, but they blamed inexperience for my friend's crash last winter and he has been riding for twenty years. However his sled was not equipped with adequate runners which was the actual cause and is a frequent cause of failure to make a corner. It is true that sleds are more powerful and go faster. Mine will cruise at 100 MPH easily. They are also by law quieter. Penalties for loud exhaust are fairly large, and they actively enforce it.
 
Don't see many alcohol related automobile fatalities unlike years ago. I see more alcohol related snowmobile fatalities at least going by area news sources. Probably 8 of the last 10 had alcohol play a major role while one was disorientation in blinding conditions and the other misjudged frozen water. Yes, if you get caught driving DWI on a sled you will get a ticket that will go on your record. The trouble is law enforcement at least here virtually never does check points for sleds or investigates erratic driving of sleds. I've heard people brag they can get so much more toasted at the bar if they are going home on a sled versus driving an auto. In terms of overall accidents there are more incidents for autos but the fatalities are as I mentioned. DWI's here are expensive to defend and once publicized usually puts a nasty permanent stain on a person's life. A big reason bar business has drastically declined in the blue collar towns around here. It's cheaper to drink at home and you don't have to worry that your job will lose you.
 
Around here on thurs to sun darned close to all the snowmobilers are drinking and driving. If they are over the limit they are darned close. Sometimes see them at the local liquor store / gas station struggling to operate the debit terminal to pay for the gas and next case of beer.
 
That was the second bad accident in the area on Saturday night, a couple from Hensall didn?t fare that well either with one just hanging on. With the temperature rise and fog in the area Saturday night, the trails were pretty empty as the conditions were not the safest, seemed most were wise and stayed clear.
 
It seems to happen quite often that a person will be traveling at a high rate of speed on a lake and by time they see the shore line and trees, they can not stop in time. At night and they usually have been drinking. So it gets written as alcohol related, but sober or drunk at 70 mph vs a tree, you are most likely going to be dead.
 
986 ...... this link below agrees with your information, they claim about 1/2 as many these days as back in the 60's. There is a LOT of GOOD info in this information ...... here ya go ....
Untitled URL Link
 
I agree with that and at the same time people are getting their education watching others be ruined by a DWI. Still too many drunk drivers but it is not like decades ago where a person who can't even stand upright unassisted gets behind the wheel. I know a guy who works Dept of Corrections and he said a big contributor to the decline of drunk driving was that if convicted New York did not care where you did your jail time. Somebody convicted of a DWI could just as easily go to a maximum security facility as they could a minimum security facility. People get shook up at the prospect of themselves or a loved one going to Attica for 30 months.
 
(quoted from post at 09:26:30 02/05/19) A sled with a motor that goes 100 mph in the snow and woods ? What could possibly go wrong ?
Click to expand...

DR these trails in the snow and woods where one goes 100 MPH are built for logging trucks to travel 60 MPH on. They are often cleared 50 yards wide with very adequate ditches. The trail is groomed smooth and as wide as one direction of an interstate highway. Often they are straight as an arrow and when you crest a hill you can see for well over a mile ahead. There is little sensation of speed even at 100 MPH.
 
(quoted from post at 20:35:47 02/05/19)
(quoted from post at 09:26:30 02/05/19) A sled with a motor that goes 100 mph in the snow and woods ? What could possibly go wrong ?
Click to expand...

DR these trails in the snow and woods where one goes 100 MPH are built for logging trucks to travel 60 MPH on. They are often cleared 50 yards wide with very adequate ditches. The trail is groomed smooth and as wide as one direction of an interstate highway. Often they are straight as an arrow and when you crest a hill you can see for well over a mile ahead. There is little sensation of speed even at 100 MPH.
Click to expand...

Yep, you do not have to be drunk to die when you drive at full throttle.

I had snowmobiles for 20 years.
I quit running with others early on in a group because 99% of the time it is a contest to see who can't keep up.
Nobody is interested in seeing the sights along the trail.
And that was back in the day of one cylinder, air cooled, steel sleds too.
Now they build sleds that can go 125+ from the factory.
Then you add in groomed trails flat as glass and straight.
Lots of old rail lines with deep ditches.
What can go wrong when running full throttle?

Darwinism
 
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