Rude awakening for drunk drivers

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Snowmobiling is the best all around family activity you can think of in the winter season, and it can provide thrills for those who seek out challenging terrain too, but just because you're having fun doesn't mean you can ignore the rules of responsible driving.

First rule and the one some people break every year: Don't drink and drive!

Drinking and driving can be fatal. It is a fact that drinking and driving is a factor in 80 per cent of snowmobile fatalities in Canada, statistics show.

What happens when you drink and drive? Alcohol, and many other drugs for that matter, impairs your thinking and slows your reaction time.

That's when people start making stupid decisions or forgetting to make the right ones. They ignore, or maybe don't see, signs that warn them some trails are unsafe. Everyone has heard stories of people who take the chance of crossing that unfamiliar lake or river after dark, or who are speeding and don't even realize they are over water. Later when the bodies are recovered the police report says "alcohol was a factor" in the tragedy.

Another thing drinkers get casual about is dressing for the weather. They can't find or decide they don't want to wear a helmet. They don't put on enough layers of protective clothing. They're not cold, they think, and they expose themselves to the elements and to getting hypothermia, especially if their machine breaks down or they become lost.

Have you ever seen people who are drinking ignore every safety precaution and endanger others on the trail with their irresponsible driving? What about crossing private land? Or maybe they let some underage youngster drive.

What kind of example will you set for youth this winter? Ride safe. Ride Sober.