Snowmobile smart this winter

A primary hazard in winter involves snowmobiling.

Snowmobiling is great fun, but police warn it can turn tragic in an instant when safety goes by the wayside.

The Norfolk OPP offer the following tips for safe snowmobiling now that the winter season has arrived:

• Obey trail signs and never deviate

from a designated trail. Not only might you damage crops or sensitive habitat, you could run into a fence and cause yourself serious injury or worse.

• Slow down after dark or when visibility is suboptimal.

• Avoid snowmobiling on ice wherever

possible. Ice conditions vary and can never be trusted to be completely solid. If you have to snowmobile on ice, keep a set of ice picks handy in case you break through and need something with which to pull yourselves out of the water. Wear a buoyant snowmobile suit if you can.

• Tell someone where you are going, the

route you intend to take and when you intend to return. Avoid snowmobiling alone wherever possible. A fully-charged cell phone can be a lifesaver in a pinch.

• Never snowmobile impaired. If police

find you snowmobiling impaired, the penalties are the same as if they nabbed you at a RIDE checkpoint.

• Exercise caution on hills and curves.

Always stay to the right-hand side of the trail where room allows.

• Never ride on private property without the permission of the owner. Failing to do so often results in a call to police.

• Have a valid driver’s licence or motorized snow vehicle operators permit handy in case police ask for it. Also carry evidence of the machine’s registration and proof of insurance. The law requires snowmobile operators to carry proper documentation.

• The law requires snowmobile operators to wear a helmet when they venture off their own property.

• You must be at least 16 years of age

and have a proper driver’s licence or operator’s permit to snowmobile along the road.