OPP Snowmobile Patrol Have Been Hitting the Trail to Help Keep Riders Safe

(MIDLAND,ON) – Riders on the local Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) trails over the last week have felt the presence of the OPP Snowmobile patrol made up of members of the Southern Georgian Bay OPP detachment..

Officers on sleds logged over 70 hours of patrol checking over 400 snowmobilers for equipment, required licences, registration and trail passes where applicable. Officers also conducted eight separate reduce impaired driving everywhere (R.I.D.E.) programs checking snowmobilers for signs of impairment in an effort to maintain trail safety.

With rider education and balance of enforcement in mind, officers dealt with issues found on the trails as follows.

• 32 riders were warned with a variety of Motorized Snow Vehicle Act (MSVA) offences which were predominantly failing to have a valid ownership permit on their snowmobile.
• One rider charged with speeding, five riders charged with riding without a trail pass, two riders charged for not having a valid machine registration permit.

Unfortunately, officers have been tasked along with area Fire and Paramedic Services to attend three snowmobile crashes, all of which resulted in injuries ranging from a ride with paramedics to the hospital for treatment of a broken bone to a flight to a Toronto trauma hospital for treatment serious injuries. Because of these crashes and similar incidents that may follow this weekend, we state the following.

Snowmobiling is a wonderful sport for most family members to enjoy the great outdoors, but sadly we have to attend incidents involving snowmobiles being operated by persons who are suspected of being impaired, or operating carelessly and are tasked with an investigation that will have long lasting effects on all involved, victims and emergency services personnel.

• Ride in control and to the trail conditions
• Obey the posted speed limit.
• Never, ever drive impaired
• No Ice is Safe Ice

Snowmobilers planning to head out on the OFSC trail system this weekend would be well advised to check on the following website link to ensure the trail is open for use – Snowmobiling Ontario

It also goes without saying that it is still early in the cold weather winter season for local ice conditions to be up to expectations for ice surface travel by foot or by machine. Always remember that, “No Ice Is Safe Ice” and to check the ice surface or inquire with local residents, ice hut operators, weather stations or any other reliable source before heading out and possibly going through into the frigid waters below. Ultimately, you may be risking your life, the lives of others possibly with you and that of emergency service responders tasked to rescue you, or worse to locate and remove you from the lake.

All drivers /riders/operators should be aware that the O.P.P. R.I.D.E. program checks are conducted 24/7 all year long. The OPP remains committed to taking alcohol/drug-impaired drivers off our roads & trails through enforcement and public education so riders can expect to see OPP officers on the trail system during day time & night time hours. Also, it can be expected that uniform road patrol officers will be conducting Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (R.I.D.E.) programs at trail heads. The Detachment also works with area safety partners such as MADD Canada, Arrive Alive, The North Simcoe Safe and Sober Awareness Committee and area snowmobile clubs, Georgian Bay Snow Riders (GBSR) and the Baxter Snow Riders (BSR) and the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC).

The sport of snowmobiling has many associated inherent risks, dangers and hazards caused by the changing terrain & environment, your machine, and others on their machines to name a few. To help reduce these risks, riders are reminded to always check the Interactive Trail Guide before heading on the trails and wear all of the required safety equipment including floater suits if travelling on frozen water surfaces. It is highly recommended to have a fully charged cell phone with you, let a family member know where your heading to and a return time, load a location app on your cell phone such as What3Words and/or the Interactive Trail Guide and remember that “No Ice Is Safe Ice” . Self rescue maybe your only way out for reasons depicted in the following link – https://twitter.com/OPP_News/status/1342817627077488641