Alban tragedy: Radar runs normally safe, OPP says

Snowmobile radar runs are not illegal, but a person can be charged for operating their machine at a high rate of speed, to the point it becomes dangerous for themselves or others, says the OPP.

A radar run is when a snowmobile operator tests the limits of their machine on a frozen lake or river and has someone standing with a radar gun, usually at a safe distance, to measure their speed.

Radar runs are common at sanctioned events where a run is properly groomed and professional drivers try to top each other a safe distance from the crowd, said OPP Const. André Bisson.

“People are far enough away to make sure that if something did happen, that there's nobody around,” he said.

At sanctioned events, snowmobiles are also equipped with kill switches that turn off the machine if the driver falls off.

On Feb. 6, a 42-year-old man and 29-year-old woman were killed after a snowmobile collision on the Murdock River, near Alban.

Police said the incident that claimed their lives occurred during an unsanctioned radar run. The man was riding the machine while the woman was watching from the sidelines.

“In this particular one, speed was a factor and visibility was certainly diminished at the time of the collision,” said Bisson, who is with the OPP Noelville detachment, which responded to the incident shortly after 6:30 p.m.

Bisson said injuries are generally "pretty rare" at sanctioned radar runs.

Chuck Breathat, president of the Sudbury Trail Plan Association, said unsanctioned events can be dangerous because it's difficult to predict the quality of the ice on a lake or river.

“You just never know what the conditions will be,” he said.

At organized events, Breathat said, the track is groomed to prevent ruts in the ice that could cause an operator to lose control.

He said on the groomed trail network around Sudbury and the northeast, the posted speed limit is 50 km/h, but that limit does not apply to lakes or rivers, which are not part of the trail system.

Still, riders can face Criminal Code of Canada charges for dangerous driving for operating in an unsafe manner.