2022-11-09

Off-highway vehicle incidents prompt police caution

by KEITH CORCORAN

BRIDGEWATER - Collisions involving off-highway vehicles (OHV) were reported in Lunenburg and Queens counties on the day and the even the day before the Mounties' issued a public statement indicating police have been responding to more crashes involving such vehicles in recent weeks.

On Oct. 24, Nova Scotia's RCMP said various detachments indicated an increasing number of OHV incidents and asked drivers to take better care.

"We want you to enjoy it but just be safe," Cpl. Chris Marshall, a spokesperson for the province's Mounties, told Global News.

Emergency crews in Lunenburg were sent to an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) incident just after 5:30 p.m. on the same day RCMP issued it's cautionary news release. The day before, on Oct. 23, paramedics, police and Liverpool volunteer firefighters were sent just before 4 p.m. to a trail in Milton where a female patient was believed to have been hurt in an OHV crash.

Compiling statistics surrounding snowmobile, dirt bike, ATV and side-by-side incidents is complicated.

"The exact number of OHV collisions is unknown," the Mounties said in the Oct. 24 release. "Those that occur on private properties and trails are likely to be under-reported due to how the Motor Vehicle Act defines mandatory collision reporting; it applies to public roadways only,"

Impaired driving, distracted driving, speeding, or a combination of all three are the main causes of OHV crashes, police said.

Wearing proper equipment, such as a helmet, and driving to one's skill level can help reduce the risk of serious injury.

Thank you for printing this article from lighthousenow.ca. Subscribe today for access to all articles, including our archives!