Fox Glen Club Safety Tips:
GUIDELINES FOR SAFE AND PLEASURABLE TRAIL RIDING
Trail Sign Guide:
- BLAZER - To make sure that you are on the designated trail, watch
for the blazer. Where trail exits and entrances are minimal, they
will be kept to a minimum.
- DIRECTIONAL ARROW - This arrow will advise trail users of a change
in trail direction where your speed should be reduced to negotiate
a curve or corner.
- CAUTION - Look for caution signs to warn you of a change in trail
conditions. Prepare to reduce your speed.
- STOP & YIELD - Stop signs are used to halt users on a snowmobile
trail at road crossings, highway bridge crossings, public railroad
grade crossings or trail intersections.
Trail Leaders:
-
Try to maintain a steady pace.
-
Go slow,
or if necessary, stop after passing a stop sign or
crossing a road. Do not resume speed until all riders have
safely
rejoined the group.
-
Stop at regular intervals to allow
riders to break.
-
Use appropriate arm and hand signals
to let riders behind you know what you are doing.
-
Continuously watch for
the rider immediately behind you. If you lose sight of the
rider behind you --STOP-- the riders in
front of you will see that you have stopped and then they
will also stop.
-
Try to keep up with the group. If the
pace is too fast, let the
leader know at the next rest stop or try to position
yourself close to the leader where the necessity to "speed
up to catch up" will be reduced.
-
When arriving at
an intersection, make sure the riders behind you
see which turn you are taking. Slow down or, if necessary,
stop until
riders behind can see you turn.
-
Do not follow too close! Leave plenty
of room to stop should the rider in front of you make an
emergency stop.
As the speed of the
group increases; so should the gap between you
and the rider in front of you.
-
Ride in single file, and unless
safe to do otherwise, always ride to the right hand
side of the trail. When stopping on the trail for
a rest or any other reason, always park your machine
as far off the trail as possible. Never park side-by-side
on the trail right-of-way
and only do so when the parking area is completely
off the trail.
-
When crossing busy roads or highways,
it is permissible if the group is large, and recommended
that crossings
be accomplished by machines
two or three abreast going simultaneously.
-
Come
to a complete stop at all stop signs, roads and highway
crossings. Look carefully both ways before continuing.
-
Once
you have taken a position in the line of machines, maintain
that position until the next rest stop or break.
Do not pass or change your position while the ride is underway.
If you decide to leave
the group momentarily to "play" in the
snow, always return to the position you vacated when
you are
through "playing".
-
Signal to the riders
behind you using appropriate hand signals for
any situation
requiring caution such as a stop sign, busy
intersection, road or highway crossing, or approaching other
snowmobiles.
When meeting approaching snowmobiles slow down
and move to the right to allow them to pass.
HAND SIGNALS:
| Left
Turn
left arm extended straight out from shoulder and
pointing in the direction of the turn.
|
|
| 
Right
Turn
left arm raised at shoulder height, elbow bent and forearm vertical with palm
of the hand flat.
|
|
| Stop
left arm raised from the shoulder and extended straight up
over the head with palm of hand flat.
|
|
| Slowing
left arm extended out and down from the side of body with a downward
motion of hand to signal warning or caution
|
|
| Oncoming
Sleds
Left arm raised at shoulder height, elbow bent
and forearm vertical, wrist bent, move arm left
to right over head pointing
to right side of trail.
|
|
| Sleds
Following
Arm raised, elbow bent, with thumb pointing backward,
in hitch-hiking motion move arm forward to backward
over your shoulder.
|
|
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|
Last
Sled in Line
Release handlebar with left hand,
palm of hand flat, slash forearm
outward at a 45º downward angle
toward the ground repeatedly.
|
|
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EMERGENCY KIT
Experience has shown that the following items carried in your snowmobile
can help handle most emergencies....
-
Spare spark plug
and plug wrench.
-
-
Phillips and regular
screwdrivers.
-
Pliers, preferably with sidecutters.
-
S.A.E.
and metric combination wrenches in a few standard sizes.
-
Flashlight
with good batteries.
-
Tow rope - don't depend on someone
else.
-
-
-
Long piece of fuel line which can be
used as a siphon hose.
-
-
Rag to towel dirty hands clean.
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