2 brand new artic cats accident


I guess the guy couldn't see the white color of the Cat..should of bought a green Cat...crazy.That almost happened to me years back when I was doing a slow turn away in a open field and no one around and all of a sudden a guy whizs by me and my skis caught the back end of his sled.We both stopped and looked at each other wandering what just happened..
 
didnt help that his buddies both stopped in the trail side by side taking up the whole trail. I put the blame on that. was probably trying to get around them and when he realized the other one was there it was too late.
 
Just an example of some of the dangers out sledding and can be applied to crossing roads as well.
Helmets give very poor peripheral vision...your head needs to be on a swivel.
Helmets, engine noises, ear plugs, ect...all block our hearing...its amazing how that destroys our situational awareness!
 
That guy that pulled out in front of him was a newer rider and never seen him coming.The guy that hit him is on hcs.
 
would of missed him if he had not drove ahead... my guess is he did not see the sled coming...
 
one of those situation where if the guy coming had a screaming can on it he would of heard it coming. sound saves lives
 
You have to wonder, Why would a manufacturer make a White Snowmobile? I saw many of these Cats in the Up earlier this winter. They are extreamly hard to see. Al
 
I had an old...1974 I beleive, yami 340/ was white but at least it had a gold and red racing stripe down the side of the hood. Most sled back then werent easily capable of running 80+ mile an hour like todays sleds!
 
devinzz1 said:
one of those situation where if the guy coming had a screaming can on it he would of heard it coming. sound saves lives
I disagree, I have had loud sleds behind me that I cant tell where the noise is coming from. would he have heard it? maybe. known where to look? doubt it. loud cans lose trails, coming from a guy that is active in the local club and runs a groomer, gets landowner permission, etc.
more to the point, that SUCKS. and amazing they both walked away!
 
03viperguy said:
I disagree, I have had loud sleds behind me that I cant tell where the noise is coming from. would he have heard it? maybe. known where to look? doubt it. loud cans lose trails, coming from a guy that is active in the local club and runs a groomer, gets landowner permission, etc.
more to the point, that SUCKS. and amazing they both walked away!

have never ridden on a groomed trail but still.. dont know why sound would cause a trail to be closed.
 
devinzz1 said:
have never ridden on a groomed trail but still.. dont know why sound would cause a trail to be closed.

Because around here some trails run very near homes and other residential areas. The sound of a sled travels a very long way and can get pretty annoying when you are trying to sleep with sleds ripping up and down the trails all night long.

That video is nuts, both of them are very lucky. That is one reason I never turn my sled sideways on the trail, had that guy stopped with his sled going straight on the trail the other rider would have been able to see his headlight and had a chance to react or slow down.
 
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It is not just two stroke stingers/ pipes that are loud. The current 4 strokes with loud mufflers are abnoxious, even when idleing. The bass sound, travels further, and is actually louder, without producing any extra power. Anyway these guys were traveling fast and in the incorrect direction, ie sideways in the trail system. This is too bad, but I am glad no one was hurt. Al
 
WOW!

A side note, I also am bothered by how many people run the music/headphones while riding! I am constatntly monitoring my engine. And generally completely focusing on what I'm doing, and whats happening around me. This sport isnt exactly like driving down a wide open freeway.
 
Probably a good thing the guy going sideways was sitting down also, or the oncoming guy would have missiled right into him...
 
killerklown said:
WOW!

A side note, I also am bothered by how many people run the music/headphones while riding! I am constatntly monitoring my engine. And generally completely focusing on what I'm doing, and whats happening around me. This sport isnt exactly like driving down a wide open freeway.

Well said too many riders think headphones dont effect your riding.
 
Wow!! Both are lucky to be alive. The poser on the Artic Cat never even looked to his right at any time. You could see the oncoming headlight way down the trail. He was probably more concerned with how he looked than being safe and being aware of his surroundings.
As far as headphones. To each his own, but I like to hear how my sled is running and hear whats going on around me. I ride with a guy who wears em' and he rides like an a-hole. Get's wrapped up in the music and rides like he owns the trail. Saw him almost collide with 3 sleds last year alone. Almost laid him out last ride of the season. Called me a pussy for not keeping up with him. Told him he rides like a a-hole. Know what he said? " I pay my registration , I can ride like I want to". That is true, but that doesn't give you the right to put other peoples lives at stake.
now... :letitsnow :letitsnow :letitsnow
 
As far as loud cans go, I have to agree with Viperguy. I live in a residential area. Not right on the trails, but I can still hear the sleds at 10, 11 o'clock at night out tearin' around. These trails are atleast 3/4 mile away. They don't allow aftermarket cans in NH so these riders are just getting lucky. I feel for the people who own houses right on the trails. Yeah, the guys are probably doing 20mph passing the houses, but that is still enough sound to piss people off who are trying to sleep.
There.........got that out of my system.
 
Loud pipes loose trails....More accurate statement would be "people with little to no tolerance loose trails" I live 1/4 mile east of 1 state trail,3/4 of a mile south of another and a mile west of another and 1/2 mile east of Infinity raceway. I get to hear more than a few sleds daily. Being a sleeder myself its music to my ears! People nowadays really need to have more tolerance for others. People take things way too personally, Like we are piping our sleds just to piss them off. Granted on a busy trail maybe a few hundred "loud sleds" pass in a week end? Instead of thinking "revenue to my local economy" people get pissed. LIVE AND LET LIVE! Dont bash another group/demographic because they dont see things the way you.
 
the biggest problem, is that we are using their land, not state land etc. so yeah, I might not want loud sleds coming on MY land that I ALLOWED you to use. the landowner gets nothing from it. with the raceway, it is that persons land, most people moved there knowing it was already there, or at least had the chance to oppose it when they were going for permits. similar thought, but just a different circumstance with the sleds. my parents and I own a mobile home park and we love sleds, the trail comes right through, we groom the trail, sign it, etc. and I must say, on a weekend I bet we see 50-100 sleds come through. and I would also say that1/4 of them come through at about 20mph, blipping the throttle with race cans. litterally 20 feet from peoples houses. we are allowing the trail to go up the pavement for 1/4 mile or so, so yeah, it sucks that they are loud and disturbing the customers. if it comes down to it, we need to keep the customers happy, not the sledders. I hate to say it, but its just the way it is in some places. on the other hand, I can go 4 hours north to pittsburg NH and all the trails are way out in the woods a long way from anyone, so its a lot less of an issue. just my $.50. (wa a long post, more than $.02 worth!)
 


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