Effective December 21, 2010, the Vermont State Police changed their guidelines for distance learning. Students are now required to spend a minimum amount of time on each course page before proceeding to the certification exam.

Click here to go to the latest version of the Today's Snowmobile Rider in Vermont online course—the official snowmobile rider education course of the Vermont State Police.

The following course material is for reference only. Please go to the new course to complete your Vermont certification.

Riding Safely and Responsibly

Understanding the Dangers of Alcohol and Drugs

Don’t drink and ride.

Alcohol depresses the central nervous system, affects your judgment, and slows reaction time.
Alcohol decreases your attention span, which is risky even when you have only one task to perform. This especially complicates performing multiple tasks, such as steering your snowmobile while keeping track of others in the area.
Most people become slightly intoxicated after only one drink.
Over-the-counter drugs and prescription drugs, particularly tranquilizers and barbiturates, have effects similar to alcohol.
Marijuana slows your reflexes and reduces night vision.
Cocaine and amphetamines may increase your concentration temporarily but cause fatigue as the drug wears off. They also give you an exaggerated feeling of well-being, which affects judgment and leads to reckless behavior.

Areas of Impairment Due to Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)

Because you can drink faster than your system can burn off alcohol, the level of alcohol increases in your blood. This level is referred to as Blood Alcohol Concentration. The following chart illustrates at what BAC levels (percentages of alcohol in the blood) certain body functions are impaired.