Greetings from the Laurel Highlands Snowmobile Club
During these Covid-19 times it is difficult to come up with a snowmobile topic. However, if you are a snowmobile safety instructor there is something that is on our minds. Last year, DCNR listed a total of 5 safety classes being taught in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. WHY is there only 5?????
Safety instructors think it has to do with the online safety classes being taught on the computer. You can take a class for 1-2 hours and pay $29.50 and be certified to ride a snowmobile. As instructors, we all agree the best education is in the classroom. 1 on 1 with the student is extremely important. The online class comes from the state of Texas which receives no snow.
I want to publish one of the handouts we discuss at LHSC with our students. At our classes, we hand out a large freezer bag filled with between 45-50 items of discussion. By the way our classes are for youth, parents, new riders, veteran riders and grandparents. Here is our handout:
FACTS AND FIGURES ABOUT PENNSYLVANIA SNOWMOBILES(This information was handed out at our last class class which was November, 2019.)
- DCNR trails open Sunday, December 15, 2019
- State Game Lands open Sunday, January 19, 2020
- Registration information 1-866-545-2476-$300 fine if not
- Must carry liability insurance with you–$300 fine without it
- Kids must carry the original snowmobile safety certificate
- Crossing a highway with kids, an adult 18 or older must be present–kids must be at least 10 to operate legally
- Kids must be under direct supervision of adult 18 or older
- All sleds must be registered–$20 for 2 years
- In 2018, Pennsylvania had 33,240 registered sleds
- NEVER ride of frozen water in Pa. (common sense)
- DCNR says we have 116 miles of trail at LHSC
- Trails close on April 1, 2020
- Accidents with Injury, death, or damages of $100 or more must be reported to DCNR within 7 days
- Pennsylvania has 6,000 miles of snowmobile trails
- Average age of a snowmobiler is 45 and rides 1,250 miles a year–80% are male & 20% female
- If your area is declared a State Of Emergency–Am I allowed to ride my sled on the road. Answer–NO, unless you are in an emergency situation. (Only in Extreme Emergency such as taking someone to the hospital–Answer came from DCNR in Harrisburg.)
- You must wear a helmet when riding a snowmobile.
- Ride single file and to the right hand side of the trail.
We at LHSC have a total of 6 certified instructors, who are qualified,
certified, and clearance free instructors. We also have several volunteers working in the kitchen to care care of all students.
Until next time–live life to its fullest—Jim Wilkinson & Shelly Buckles
