Snowmobiling in Canada is popular and a lot of fun when done safely. The focus on drinking and driving automobiles often overshadows the evidence that drinking and driving a snowmobile happens — A LOT. Teen Challenge responds.

It’s not uncommon to hear of at least one fatality involving a snowmobile and alcohol every winter season, and today's edition of the Edmonton Sun chronicles yet one more tragedy. And it continues to happen. A study done by Beirness, Mayhew, and Simpson for the Traffic Injury Research Foundation of Canada, shows that over a 5 year period almost 500 people were fatally injured while riding a snowmobile.

85% of those who died were driving, and 79% of those driving exceeded the legal BAC.

Dr. Steven Socransky, medical director of the trauma program at Sudbury Regional Hospital, said, “Alcohol is a factor in more than a quarter of all incidents and contributes significantly to mortality rates while less than 1% of snowmobile collisions are fatal, the chance of dying rises to 1 in 6 if the driver has been drinking.”

To read the full report click here

Snowmobiler charged with drunk driving in fatal crash

By EDMONTON SUN

Last Updated: March 4, 2010 11:45am

A snowmobiler is charged with drunk driving in the death of another sledder.

High Level RCMP were called shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday to a snowmobile collision about 13 km east of High Level, near Highway 58.

A group of people had been snowmobiling, when one of them fell from his snowmobile and was struck by another snowmobiler that had been following, Mounties said Thursday.

First a passerby and then police performed CPR, until paramedics arrived to take the victim to hospital. He was later pronounced dead.

His name was being withheld by RCMP.

Raymond Auger has been charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle causing death and operation of a motor vehicle with over 80 milligrams of alcohol causing death, as well as one charge under the traffic act.

Anyone who witnessed the fatal crash is asked to call High Level RCMP at 780-926-3013.