*** Snowmobile Accident Statistics *** Subject: Fwd: snowmobiles and buried riders, statistics. Date: Wed, 12 Feb 1997 09:30:26 -0700 (MST) From: SnoDale@aol.com (by way of "Howard M. Paul" ) To: csrb@rmsd.com, psyzak@aol.com, sar-l@islandnet.com SNOWMOBILE ACCIDENTS:Relationships between buried riders and their machines by Dale Atkins, Colorado Avalanche Information Center. 10230 Smith Road snodale@aol.com Denver, CO 80239 caic@avalanche.state.co.us 303 371-1080 The following are preliminary results and are subject to change! Study: Review of 43 snowmobile avalanche accidents in the US and Canada where the relative distance and location of the machine and the buried rider are known. Preliminary Conclusions: * Rider is more twice as likely to be buried than machine. (inverse segregation) * Rider twice as likely to be found uphill of machine rather than downhill. Preliminary Statistics: * Median burial depth of machine: 0 feet (0 meters) * Median burial depth of rider: 3 feet (0.9 meters) * Percent of victims found: uphill of machine 53% downhill of machine 26% underneath machine 14% side of machine 7% * Mean distances and standard deviations of victims relative to their machine: US Units: uphill of machine 36 feet, s = ± 31 feet, max 115 feet downhill of machine 48 feet, s = ± 76 feet, max 200 feet side of machine 5 feet, s = ± 1.5 feet, max 6 feet Metric Units: uphill of machine 10.9 meters, s = ± 9.4 meters, max 35.1 meters downhill of machine 14.6 meters, s = ± 23.2 meters, max 60.9 meters side of machine 1.5 meters, s = ± 0.46 meters, max 1.8 meters * Percent of victims found within the mean distances from machine: 84% * Percent of victims found within the mean distance plus one standard deviation from machine: 88% * Cumulative frequency: ± 20 feet ( 6.1 meters) 63% ± 40 feet (12.2 meters) 81% ± 60 feet (18.3 meters) 86% ± 80 feet (34.4 meters) 91% ± 120 feet (36.6 meters) 95% ± 160 feet (48.8 meters) 95% ± 200 feet (60.9 meters) 100% These results are preliminary and subject to change. For more information please contact Dale Atkins. Colorado Avalanche Information Center 10230 Smith Road Denver, CO 80239 (303) 371-1080 (303) 371-5508 fax email: caic@avalanche.state.co.us ----------------------------------