The Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), in a new report sponsored by Desjardins Insurance, is calling for enhanced safety measures and education of off-road vehicle operators after deaths among snowmobile, all-terrain vehicle (ATV), dirt bike and side-by-side operators were found to have increased substantially between 2000 and 2021.  

“Casualties among off-road vehicle riders, specifically persons under 16 years of age, have increased substantially in the past two decades,” they write in the new factsheet, Fatally Injured Off-road Vehicle Riders in Canada, 2000-2021.  

Lone-vehicle riders 

The report’s findings include the fact that more than half of snowmobile riders, 57.9 per cent, and 64 per cent of ATV and dirt bike riders under 16 who died in a crash were lone-vehicle riders. Off-road vehicle operators fatally injured were more likely to be impaired than those killed in regular traffic accidents and fatalities decrease when there is more than one rider present. 

Looking at the number of riders, they say among all riders killed, 82.4 per cent of snowmobile riders who died were sole riders. This declines to 16.9 per cent with two riders. Similarly, they say 75.1 per cent of ATV and dirt bike fatalities occurred when the victim was the sole rider, declining to 19.4 per cent when two riders were present.  

The report also looks at fatalities by time of day and day of the week, the number of fatally injured riders wearing helmets, whether riders collided with a fixed object or another vehicle and where the collisions occurred – either on private property, public roads or designated trails.    

Impaired riding 

“Key findings from TIRF’s National Fatality Database underscore the critical need to address the safe use of snowmobiles, ATVs and dirt bikes and focus particularly on topics such as impaired riding and helmet use,” they write.  

The foundation’s data suggest there were 20 deaths of off-road vehicle riders under 16 in 2021, up from eight in 2000; 27 off-road vehicle riders over age 65 died in 2021, compared to five in 2000. Deaths in other age groups were consistent from study period to study period. “Additionally, 142 male off-road vehicle riders died in 2021, compared to 94 in 2000. Although the 23 deaths among female riders were fewer than those among males, this number still represents a significant increase from the six females killed in 2000.” 

The data also says fatally injured snowmobile operators were the most likely to test positive for alcohol – 65.9 tested positive for alcohol compared to 44.3 per cent of fatally injured ATV and dirt bike operators. Comparatively, highway vehicle drivers tested positive for alcohol 28.5 per cent of the time in 2021 when the operator was fatally injured.  

“Fatally injured operators of highway vehicles have consistently been less likely to test positive for alcohol than drivers of other vehicle types,” they write. “Further efforts are needed to educate the public about the impaired operation of a conveyance in the Criminal Code.”