Dennis Bradley Teaches Young Snowmobile Riders Rules of the Road on Island
By Karen Gould

Dennis Bradley taught his last snowmobile safety class to Mackinac Island students December 12. Students earning their snowmobile driver certificates, pictured with Mr. Bradley, include (front, from left) Amelia Roe, Adrienne Rilenge, Hailey Armstrong; (seated) Brian Bradley; (back) Zhane Nash, Onaca Bennett, and Jessica Beaune. (Photograph by Susan Bennett)

Dennis Bradley has taught snowmobile safety to students for about 25 years, but is leaving the volunteer role after this year.

"I think it's time for somebody else to have some fun, he said. "It's just a hoot working with the students. I've done it a long time and certainly enjoyed every class I've done."

Tuesday, December 11, the day before his last class, Mr. Bradley was on Market Street teaching Joe Rogers and Blake Ruddle the skills of driving. The two students, from St. Ignace, came over on the boat for two days of classes. The students took turns driving as Mr. Bradley sat behind, reminding them of the rules of the road. With major off-season construction projects underway, they maneuvered among dump trucks, other snowmobiles, pedestrians, and horse-drawn wagons.

Dennis Bradley teaches snowmobile safety for the last time this winter after 25 years of volunteering to guide young people like Joe Rogers (front) and Blake Ruddle. The St. Ignace students traveled to the Island for his class December 11 and 12.

On Mackinac Island, snowmobiles replace bicycles as the winter mode of transportation, while on the mainland, most young snowmobilers train in fields and along groomed trails, said Mr. Bradley, who is also Mackinac Island's fire chief and airport manager.

"Over here," he said, "we use snowmobiles as primary transportation."

Driving to school on snowmobiles is common for Mackinac Island students ages 12 and up, who have completed the class and have a snowmobile operator certificate. So the advantage of taking the Island class, he said, is the traffic experience it offers.

The course work, which was developed by the Department of Natural Resources, has not kept up with technology, said Mr. Bradley. When the class was designed, snowmobiles cost approximately $4,000 and traveled at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour. Today, he said, a snowmobile can cost $10,000 and reach speeds of 100 miles per hour.

A driving course is often set up in a field and requires students to drive around obstacles and in a figure eight.

"When I teach," said Mr. Bradley, who has taught his own children and grandchildren, "I have the students do a lot of driving."

The figure-eight exercise demonstrates control, he said.

Offered to students ages 12 through 17, the class requires 10 hours of course work, practical experience, and the successful completion of a final examination. Students who pass the class earn their certificate to operate a snowmobile, if they are at least 12 years of age. The course teaches students about the machine's operation, trail rules, snowmobile laws, and sign interpretation. Police Chief Jim Marks teaches the law enforcement portion of the class.

Awaiting his turn to climb aboard the sled Tuesday afternoon, young Mr. Rogers said, "It's a great class. Everyone should take it."

Mr. Ruddle agreed. Both are eighth grade students at LaSalle High School.

"It teaches important common sense stuff," said Mr. Rogers. "To be a safe and responsible driver, you have to know it."

Mr. Bradley has also retired from teaching a hunter safety course this year. In 2003, he was named Recreation Volunteer of the Year by Mackinac Island Recreational Development.