MPI, Snoman join forces to raise snowmobiling safety awareness


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Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) and the Snowmobilers of Manitoba (Snoman) are asking snowmobilers to use caution and to ride safely this winter, as they look to avoid injuries and fatalities on Manitoba trails this snowmobile season.

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“January and February have the highest fatality rates for snowmobilers in Manitoba,” MPI vice-president and chief customer and product officer Maria Campos told reporters on Tuesday.

Officials with MPI and Snoman announced they are now “joining forces” to highlight snowmobile safety in Manitoba, while also giving a demonstration of safe snowmobile riding, and of snow grooming machines at a media conference near Stonewall, at the home of Snoman vice-president Joe Thievin on Tuesday.

According to Campos, there were a total of 12 deaths as a result of snowmobile collisions in Manitoba between 2021 and 2024.

A snowmobile trail groomer
Snoman Vice President Joe Thievin is seen operating a snowmobile trail grooming machine on Tuesday at a media conference near Stonewall. Manitoba Public Insurnace (MPI) and Snoman are now reminding snowmobile riders to drive safely this snowmobiling season. Dave Baxter/Local Journalism Initiative/Winnipeg Sun Photo by Dave Baxter/Local Journalism Initiative /Winnipeg Sun

She added speed is the number one factor contributing to snowmobile deaths and injuries in Manitoba, while alcohol use and impairment, lack of helmet use, and careless driving also contribute to snowmobile injuries and fatalities in Manitoba.

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“By highlighting safety concerns, we are creating awareness that there are many proactive steps riders can take to make themselves safer, especially wearing a helmet, controlling speed, and riding sober,” Campos said.

According to Snoman president Jason Wiebe, “speed is a contributing factor in a majority of incidents, and can lead to fatalities.”

“Riders have to be cognizant of their own abilities, and not to impair their sense of control by consuming alcohol or drugs while riding,” Wiebe said in a media release.

The warning also comes after a tragic incident last Friday that saw a 12-year-old girl die in northern Manitoba after being thrown from a toboggan being pulled by a snowmobile. Police say the girl was not wearing a helmet when the collision happened. She suffered life-threatening injuries and later died in hospital.

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MPI and Snowman are also reminding riders of the importance of sharing the roadway with other riders, and with trail safety and trail grooming equipment, and asking riders to bring safety and emergency items like flashlights, a snow shovel, extra food and other items with them in case they run into an emergency.

— Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

Have thoughts on what’s going on in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada or across the world? Send us a letter to the editor at wpgsun.letters@kleinmedia.ca

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