Police clamping down on snowmobile riders in Lapland ski resorts
This winter’s speeding record of 138 km/h measured in Levi
This winter’s unofficial snowmobile speed record of 138 kilometres per hour was caught on a traffic police radar in the Levi ski-resort in Kittilä, in Western Lapland.
“This was on a snowmobile track with a speed limit of 60 km/h. On ice, the speed limit is 80 km/h. Many seem to forget that the same rules apply to snowmobiles as to cars. A hefty fine can be imposed on a snowmobile, too”, says Lapland Provincial Police Commissioner Pentti Saira.
During the ski season, which is just starting to get busy, the police plan to monitor extra closely snowmobile riders in Lapland’s ski resorts. Breathalyser tests will also be carried out. According to preliminary information, last year no fewer than 14 snowmobile riders lost their lives in accidents. The corresponding figure for 2007 was eight.
In 2004-2007, 73 per cent of those who died in snowmobile accidents were riding the vehicle under the influence.
“Every one of those who perished while intoxicated had a minimum blood alcohol level of 1.2 per mil. Riding on the marked snowmobile tracks while drunk has become less frequent, but outside the marked paths it still happens quite often, for example between holiday cottages or on ice”, explains Pertti Niska, head of communications at the Central Organisation for Traffic Safety in Finland.
Eight of last year’s snowmobile accident victims died while on ice or a frozen body of water.
In the Province of Lapland there are a total of 3,300 kilometres of official snowmobile tracks referred to in the law on use of a motor vehicle on terrain, plus around 5,000 kilometres of additional marked paths.
“A typical accident inovlves losing control of the vehicle. In a turn the vehicle slides off the track and crashes into a tree. Around 700 injuries are recorded each year”, Niska explains.
Dangerous situations occur when first-timers encounter more experienced snowmobile riders, who ride much faster.
Riding a snowmobile on a public highway is forbidden by law, with the exception of crossing a road or using a road bridge to cross over a body of water.
Further exceptions include for example the use of a gas station to fill up the snowmobile’s tank, moving the vehicle into the terrain from the side of a road or from a parking lot, or keeping the snowmobile stored away somewhere near the terrain, for example on a parking lot.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 5.2.2009 - TODAY |
 Police clamping down on snowmobile riders in Lapland ski resorts |
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