Wisconsin snowmobiling deaths at 17 this year, slightly above average

Winter isn’t over yet and already Wisconsin has seen an above-average number of snowmobiling deaths. 

According to the state Department of Natural Resources, 17 people died this year in snowmobile crashes, including three people in the Northwoods over the weekend. The average, according to 10 years of data from the DNR, is 16 deaths each winter. 

“Anytime we have a fatality, it’s alarming and a tragedy,” DNR Conservation Warden Lt. Martin Stone said. “We’re always working toward zero fatalities in Wisconsin.”

According to DNR data from 2010 through 2019, the most people died in 2014, with 22 snowmobiling deaths. The next year, in 2015, there were nine. 

Drawing trends from one winter to the next is complex because the length of the snowmobiling season varies depending on the weather conditions, Association of Wisconsin Snowmobile Clubs president Dave Newman said. Even if snow falls early in the season, many trails cannot open until the ground underneath the snow is frozen, Newman said. 

Most fatal crashes happen in January and February, which is the busiest time for snowmobiling in Wisconsin as it is usually colder and snowier so more people are out on the trails.

Common factors play into many of the crashes, such as alcohol, high speeds and driver inexperience. At least seven this year involved alcohol, according to the DNR. 

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Another common factor in fatal crashes involves snowmobilers driving over frozen bodies of water. 

“Ice is never safe,” Stone said, because riders cannot tell how chunky the ice is or see what the current is like under the ice. Snow on the ice can “act as a blanket and prevents thick strong ice from forming,” according to the DNR. Four fatal crashes in 2020 involved riders driving over bodies of water. 

While even one fatal crash is too many, Newman said, the number of snowmobiling deaths has decreased since the 1990s and early 2000s. Snowmobilers born after Jan. 1, 1985, who are at least 12 years ancient are now required to take a safety course.

Newman said 8,000 people took the course last year and contributes the decrease in deaths to the course. Many people involved in snowmobile crashes are older, born before 1985, as opposed to younger riders who have gone through the course. 

“I think we have seen the results of trying to get more people safety training,” Newman said. 

Newman and Stone also encourage riders to stay on the marked trails, which members of Wisconsin’s 600 snowmobile clubs maintain for safety.

“AWSC and our clubs do everything we can to educate our members to ride safely, maintain trails, mark trails and try to make them safe for everybody,” Newman said.

Wisconsin has over 20,000 miles of snowmobile trails, according to the DNR. 

Other safe and sound snowmobiling tips include always riding with another person and carrying a first aid kit with a flashlight, knife, compass, map and waterproof matches. Riders should always wear a helmet with goggles or a face shield and water-repellent clothing with no loose ends that could catch in the machine or tangle in equipment.

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Contact Natalie Brophy at 715-216-5452 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @brophy_natalie or Facebook at facebook.com/bynataliebrophy.