Here we go again..legislating stupidity!!!!! The Wisconsin DNR has ruined fishing, and hunting in wisconsin..why not mess up snowmobiling too!!!
(the following wausau copied from Todays wausau daily herald)
Nighttime snowmobile speed limit might change
By Karen Madden
For the Wausau Daily Herald
Although some central Wisconsin snowmobile riders would like to see Wisconsin's nighttime speed limit go away, a state official thinks it should be lowered even further to save lives.
The current 55 mph nighttime speed limit for snowmobilers in Wisconsin expires in June, but there is a proposal in the state Legislature to make it permanent.
Gary Eddy Jr., DNR snowmobile and all-terrain vehicle administrator, would like to see the speed limit lowered to 45 mph. At 55 mph, snowmobile operators are overdriving their headlights: There isn't enough time for them to react to objects once they come into view, he said.
Pittsville resident Andy Meyer, 44, doesn't think the speed limit is necessary.
"People who are going to drive that fast at night aren't going to care if there's a speed limit," Meyer said. "It just gives (law enforcement) an excuse to stop snowmobilers."
In 2000, the DNR enacted an emergency rule to make the speed limit 50 mph in response to 39 fatalities -- a record high -- during the 1999-2000 snowmobile season, Eddy said. The year the speed limit was in place, the number of fatalities dropped to 26. When the one-year rule ended, the number of fatalities slowly increased during the next few years.
Snowmobile groups resisted efforts to create a permanent nighttime speed limit, preferring the 55 mph limit on a trial basis, because they wanted proof the limit makes a difference. The trial period was signed into law in late 2007 and ends this year.
Eric Patterson, 23, Stevens Point, thinks the state should let the speed limit expire.
"There are situations where it just doesn't make sense," he said.
Patterson said he likes to ride in areas that are open, where there's little danger of hitting anything.
While the current state proposal would keep the 55 mph limit, it was amended to make an exception for racing.
(the following wausau copied from Todays wausau daily herald)
Nighttime snowmobile speed limit might change
By Karen Madden
For the Wausau Daily Herald
Although some central Wisconsin snowmobile riders would like to see Wisconsin's nighttime speed limit go away, a state official thinks it should be lowered even further to save lives.
The current 55 mph nighttime speed limit for snowmobilers in Wisconsin expires in June, but there is a proposal in the state Legislature to make it permanent.
Gary Eddy Jr., DNR snowmobile and all-terrain vehicle administrator, would like to see the speed limit lowered to 45 mph. At 55 mph, snowmobile operators are overdriving their headlights: There isn't enough time for them to react to objects once they come into view, he said.
Pittsville resident Andy Meyer, 44, doesn't think the speed limit is necessary.
"People who are going to drive that fast at night aren't going to care if there's a speed limit," Meyer said. "It just gives (law enforcement) an excuse to stop snowmobilers."
In 2000, the DNR enacted an emergency rule to make the speed limit 50 mph in response to 39 fatalities -- a record high -- during the 1999-2000 snowmobile season, Eddy said. The year the speed limit was in place, the number of fatalities dropped to 26. When the one-year rule ended, the number of fatalities slowly increased during the next few years.
Snowmobile groups resisted efforts to create a permanent nighttime speed limit, preferring the 55 mph limit on a trial basis, because they wanted proof the limit makes a difference. The trial period was signed into law in late 2007 and ends this year.
Eric Patterson, 23, Stevens Point, thinks the state should let the speed limit expire.
"There are situations where it just doesn't make sense," he said.
Patterson said he likes to ride in areas that are open, where there's little danger of hitting anything.
While the current state proposal would keep the 55 mph limit, it was amended to make an exception for racing.
