Saskatchewan RCMP is concerned over snowmobiles after 50 per cent of riders who were stopped on December 30 of last year did not have registered sleds.
The patrols that showed these numbers were done in Prince Albert, Duck Lake, and Rosthern areas. However, RCMP Officers saw identifications from riders across the province.
Officers typically stop hundreds of riders throughout the winter months and roughly about 75 riders every weekend. The RCMP said that six out of every 12 riders that were stopped on December 30 were operating unregistered snowmobiles.
This statistic is a far cry from what officers were seeing last year.
“This also means 50% of snowmobiles were registered – so credit to those who registered before they went out on the trails,” says Sergeant Jeremy Knodel of Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan.
“Last winter, our enforcement team completed around six snowmobile patrols in our RCMP North District, and 85-90 per cent of the snowmobiles we encountered were registered properly. There’s lots of winter left and we’re hopeful that 50% can be bumped up to meet or exceed what we encountered last winter season. Our teams are working to keep people safe on the roads and on the trails so everyone can enjoy this seasonal activity.”
The fine for riding an unregistered sled is $175 which is considerably less than it costs to register the snowmobile for a few months.
You can register your snowmobile at any motor license issuer in Saskatchewan.
Riders must have their snowmobile registered before they ride it on any public roads (where allowed), ditches, other highway rights of way, provincial parks, Crown land, designated snowmobile trails, or on rivers or lakes.
