| January 11 – 17 is Provincial Snowmobile Safety Week |
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January 11 – 17 is Provincial Snowmobile Safety WeekOFSC Safety Efforts Promote Safe Family Riding and Smart Choices (Barrie, ON. January 7, 2009) – The Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) marks January 11 to 17 as Provincial Snowmobile Safety Week with good news that proves more snowmobilers are taking OFSC safety messages to heart. Despite an unusually long and snowy winter across most of Ontario in 2007/08, snowmobiling related fatalities declined 24% compared to the 2006/2007 season, which itself had a lower count than previously. With 73% of 2007/08 fatalities occurring off-trail, the stats also reaffirm that open trails operated by the OFSC remain the safest place to ride a snowmobile. “As the world’s largest snowmobiling association, the OFSC has good cause to celebrate snowmobiling safety week,” said Eric Saunter, OFSC Manager of Safety and Volunteer Development. “We have been especially effective in promoting safe family riding and making snowmobilers more aware of the risks and consequences associated with bad choices andirresponsible riding in an unpredictable off-road setting.”The OFSC also attributes its safety success story to the sustained “Safe Riders! You Make Snowmobiling Safe” campaign. Safe Riders strongly promotes safety as an integral part of the GoSnowmobiling lifestyle. Other key contributors to safer riding are the Snowmobile Trail Officer Patrol (S.T.O.P.) Program, which puts police-trained OFSC enforcement volunteers on OFSC trails, and the longstanding OFSC Driver Training Program, which has graduated about 200,000 students since its 1976 inception. Driver training recently issued an MTO-approved training package for adult riders, while the OFSC continues to endorse the “Zero Tolerance for alcohol while snowmobiling” message. Meanwhile, thousands of club volunteers also promote safety during OFSC Checkpoint Weekends on the trails as members of OFSC Trail Patrol. To further encourage snowmobilers to take it easy, the OFSC has widely published its ‘Assumptions for OFSC Trail Use’ so that riders know exactly what behaviour is acceptable on itstrails. This and other OFSC safety messages are continually delivered to the public through aprovince-wide network of radio, television and print media partners who support the cause of snowmobile safety. For Provincial Snowmobile Safety Week, the OFSC reminds snowmobilers that the most dangerous places to ride a snowmobile are off-trail, on public roads, and over unmarked waterways. Night is the riskiest time to ride, especially combined with excessive speed and alcohol consumption. All of these factors are predictable and preventable when responsible sledders make smart choices and take it easy — and that’s why 99.99% of OFSC snowmobilers return home safely from every ride. The OFSC is committed to proactive leadership in promoting safe, responsible riding, on and off Ontario snowmobile trails, by building safer snowmobiling knowledge, attitudes andbehaviours through rider education, safety legislation development and enforcement. |
