I am not a cynical person, but I suppose the alarming rate of snowmobile fatalities has to do with the current rash of television commercials highlighting speed. One local advertiser shows snowmobiles zinging around sharp turns with one ski completely off the snow, and another highlights a snowmobile “grabbing air.”

Of course, young people aren’t influenced by these demonstrations of reckless operation of snowmobiles and the news reports of snowmobile races where some sleds are clocked at more than 100 mph have no influence on youth to push their own machines to the limits and beyond.

Cynicism may not be the correct word. Perhaps it should be disgust at the snowmobile industry for pursuing this line of advertisement, and at snowmobile clubs for sponsoring speed races and other daring antics on snowmobiles and for failing to teach sound and sensible behavior.

If snowmobilers do not clean up their act, more landowners are going to ban machines from private property, and local and state officials will crack down on snowmobiles, which have a sound and logical purpose in snowy Maine.

John Jay Hanlon

Brewer