Snowmobile awareness campaign kicks off across Quebec

MONTREAL — Five people have lost their lives on snowmobiles in Quebec since the start of the 2019-2020 season, including four off-trail, hence the importance of reminding people of certain safety instructions.

The Fédération des clubs de motoneigistes du Québec (FCMQ), in collaboration with the SQ, set up two reception stations on Sunday morning on popular trails in Mont-Laurier, in the Laurentides, and in Saint-Raymond, near Quebec City, to remind snowmobilers of certain behaviours to adopt, such as respecting signs and speed limits for International Snowmobile Safety Week which runs until Jan. 26.

FCMQ director of operations Marilou Perreault maintains that the number of snowmobile deaths has been decreasing since the sad 2014-2015 season when there were a record 35 deaths. There were 22 during the 2018-2019 season, according to FCMQ figures.

"The greatest number of deaths recorded is off trail. So these are people who have ventured on bodies of water or off marked trails," said Perreault. "We have incidents every year on road crossings. Unfortunately, at the start of each season, there are deaths on the rivers."

INCREASED RIDERS

Another finding is more encouraging: the number of fatal snowmobile accidents is decreasing while the number of riders is increasing.

To date, almost 99,000 people have purchased a permit to access the province's marked snowmobile trails, but the practice is even more popular according to statistics from the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec ( SAAQ).

"There are more than 200,000 snowmobiles registered in Quebec," said Perreault. "This includes SQ snowmobiles, those used for work and those belonging to people who travel off marked trails."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 19, 2020.