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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Switzerland installs speed cameras on slopes to catch skiers going over 19mph |
| 2008-01-05 |
| Skiers and snowboarders who love the unrestricted thrill of hurtling down alpine pistes on a sunny winter’s day are about to be stopped in their tracks. Switzerland is introducing speed cameras on the slopes to try to reduce the increasing number of accidents. The first such nationwide controls will treat skiers like cars on the motorway. Speeders will be caught with hand-held radar devices carried by hidden personnel. Persistent offenders could be fined or have ski passes confiscated. The scheme is being introduced after figures revealed a drastic increase in serious ski-related accidents in Switzerland. The booming winter tourism trade has led to overcrowding at the most popular resorts and a sharp rise in accidents. Impeccable pistes and new skiing equipment also encourages skiers and snowboarders of all levels to go ever faster. Last year there were more than 70,000 accidents on Swiss ski slopes, many resulting in serious injuries and deaths. Swiss helicopter rescue teams were called out for serious accidents 300 times in December alone, and the total cost of rescue operations is expected to exceed £100 million.The state-controlled Swiss Accident Insurance (Suva), the country’s biggest provider of compulsory cover, has responded by introducing the speed controls as part of a safety campaign. Angela Zobrist, a spokeswoman, said: “This is not another fun-spoiling campaign of the health and safety brigade and we don’t intend to raise a warning finger to all snow sport lovers. It is a genuine safety concern. You do not realise how fast you go, which can prove to be really dangerous if you impact with another skier or have any other incident.” The monitoring will start today in the resort of Andermatt, and will be extended to the rest of the country, including resorts such as St Moritz, Zermatt and Davos. Similar experiments have been conducted on a small scale but this is the first campaign to include all the top resorts in Switzerland. Studies using crash test dummies on skis, similar to those conducted with cars, have suggested that going faster than 30km/h (19mph) is not safe, and that going faster than 50km/h is potentially fatal. Authorities are exploring the legal options of punishing speeding skiers, although it is complicated because Switzerland’s cantons have different laws. Punishments are likely to vary from resort to resort. Speeders will not be fined initially, but will be singled out and approached by Suva personnel and employees of the individual resorts, They will tell offenders to moderate their speed and explain the danger speeding poses to themselves and others on the slopes. Josef Dahinden, a spokesman for the Andermatt resort, said: “We have collisions resulting in injuries on the pistes almost every day and the purpose of this campaign is to get people to return to normal speed and go below 30km/h.” The move has been generally welcomed by skiers. Katy Laffan, 27, an experienced skier from London, said: “To be honest, I do not know how fast I usually go. It could be a good idea to monitor the speed on the piste, but I would say that it’s not the fast skiers who cause accidents but the ones who are out of control, such as beginners on steep slopes or drunk people.” |
| Posted by:john frum |
| #8 It's hard to feel sorry for skiiers of any kind. Add snowboarders and the lack of empathy is complete. |
| Posted by: gromky 2008-01-05 23:10 |
| #7 We've had two deaths in Colorado during the Christmas Break from skiiers skiing too fast and running into trees. Trees do NOT give. Both were boys, both were under 20, and both were skiing above their skill level. There have been a rash of people killed or injured skiing out of bounds, snowboarding on unauthorized slopes, and generally not obeying the posted control markings. There are no "do-overs" in skiing. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2008-01-05 16:50 |
| #6 I wonder how fast I ski. But, since most people do ski with consideration for others, they are more likely to frequent those resorts where they won't have to worry about having their leg broken -- or worse -- by idiots who choose to ski out of control. Complying with the rules of the resort is part of the contract entered into when buying a lift ticket. You don't like it? Go off piste, if you're good enough. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-01-05 16:36 |
| #5 Speedometers, dammit. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2008-01-05 15:06 |
| #4 No speesometers on skis and snowboards, this will flop badly. Picture the empty swiss slopes, that alone will do it, they live for tourism. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2008-01-05 15:06 |
| #3 I knew that was coming |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-01-05 14:26 |
| #2 Damn right, Sonny. |
| Posted by: Michael Kennedy 2008-01-05 14:22 |
| #1 good advice, believe U me! |
| Posted by: Sonny Bono 2008-01-05 14:00 |