(WWJ) State officials are out with a grim statistic regarding recreation.
According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, five snowmobilers died in crashes across the state on Friday January 18, 2019.
The DNR said police agencies investigated the deaths of two snowmobilers in a head-on crash near Lake Gogebic State Park in Gogebic County, and one fatal crash each in Luce, Alger and Kalkaska counties.
This winter, six snowmobilers have died in the Upper Peninsula and three in Lower Michigan, the DNR said. The statewide snowmobile fatality total for the entire winter of 2017-2018 was 15, with 10 of those fatalities occurring north of the Mackinac Bridge.
"This recent rash of deadly crashes illustrates the critical importance of snowmobile safety," said Lt. Ryan Aho, a DNR district law supervisor in Marquette. "Many fatalities occur because of drinking and driving, high speed or carelessness, all of which are preventable actions."
All this in mind, the DNR is partnering with the Michigan Snowmobile Association and others on a "Ride Right" safety campaign this winter.
As part of the effort, a sound meter patrol was conducted Saturday, January 19, in Grand Marais in Alger County. However, no sound violation tickets were issued. Conservation officers had contact with 578 riders, with 41 verbal warnings issued, along with 16 tickets for registration and trail permit violations.
On Sunday, a patrol in the western U.P. continued in Ontonagon County, near the site of the double-fatal crash. There, DNR officers said they issued 20 warnings to riders for improper trail permit and registration display over the weekend and wrote eight tickets -- half of which were for registration violations, with the rest for speeding over the 88-decibel limit. One officer assisted a rider whose snowmobile caught fire.
The DNR said safety and enforcement patrols like these will continue throughout the winter. To find out more about snowmobiling in Michigan, visit this link.
