In the wake of a series of fatal accidents this winter, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation have jointly issued a snowmobile safety advisory.
Two western New York brothers in their 60s died last weekend after their snowmobiles went through thin ice on an Adirondack lake. The same weekend, three men went through the ice of the Raquette River on their snowmobiles and were saved by a fellow rider. On Thursday, a 72-year-old man from Syracuse died in a snowmobile crash on a trail in Oswego County when he lost control on a curve and was ejected into the path of an oncoming snowmobile. A 54-year-old man died on Jan. 31 after being ejected from his snowmobile when it crashed into a guide rail along a central New York road. And a 40-year-old man died in a snowmobile accident in the Adirondacks just days earlier.
New York officials are urging riders to follow designated trails, avoid riding on waterways and follow safe riding practices. Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Director of Snowmobiling Chris Fallon says it’s best if riders take a safety course before taking their sleds out. “Certainly you want to make sure you’ve checked over your machine and the machine is operating properly. And the big thing is really riding within your capabilities and particularly riding within your capabilities given the conditions. Never ride alone. Never drink and ride. Make sure you have the proper safety gear. Make sure your machine is legal, it’s registered, it has the proper safety equipment. We do not encourage riding on a frozen body of water. None of our trail system is on frozen bodies of water.”
New York State Snowmobile Association Executive Director Dominic Jacangelo notes that most accidents occur due to excessive speed. “They’re not occurring because of inexperience with the snowmobile but are happening because individuals just overextend their abilities on a sled. And that is something where we try to get across the point that in order to be safe you just have to slow down.”
Jacangelo says the data indicates there have been more fatal snowmobile accidents this year than last, when there was less snow. But fatalities are on a pace with the previous year even though there are fewer sleds registered. “There are a number of factors that are contributing to fatalities this year. One is there are many lakes which are not frozen this year, or not adequately frozen. Riders get used to using a lake as a shortcut between trail points. One thing that we do know about safety: the safest place to ride is on the designated trail system. When we look at the fatalities which occurred so far this year the majority have occurred off trail. And that’s a statistic that has been consistent year in and year out for decades.”
While a safety certificate is required for operators between 10 and 18, adults are not required to take snowmobile safety courses.
