As Flin Flon city council monitors complaints around ATVs, the RCMP are reminding all Manitobans to use the off-road vehicles with safety in mind.
“While riding an ATV is a fun activity, it comes with rules and responsibilities [meant] to promote the safety of riders and passengers alike,” the Mounties said in a news release last week.
The RCMP gave the following basic rules to keep in mind when heading out on an ATV include:
• The law requires that you always wear an approved helmet.
• ATVs are not to be operated on roadways, shoulders or sidewalks unless circumstances fall under other provisions
laid out in the Off Road Vehicles Act.
• To cross a roadway on an ATV, a driver must have a valid driver’s licence.
• Like any other mode of transportation, only operate an ATV when sober and alert.
• Anyone under the age of 14 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who is a minimum of 18 years old.
• Young persons over the age of 14 can ride without parent accompaniment, but they cannot cross a roadway until they obtain a driver’s licence.
“These rules are in place to keep everyone safe,” said the Mounties. “Every year and mostly during the summer months, officers across Manitoba respond to several serious collisions involving ATVs, some of them fatal. Contributing factors in these deaths included alcohol use, failure to wear a helmet and speed, all factors that could have been avoided.
“There is more to riding an ATV than just getting on the machine and turning the key, so before heading out to enjoy the ride, remember to get in the know, be prepared and obey the laws.”
In Flin Flon, city
council has given local ATVers until May 2016 to prove they can drive responsibly or risk losing the freedom to ride in and out of the community.
“There should be no reason why this can’t continue on as long as every operator is reasonable and legal,” Mayor Cal Huntley said earlier this year.
“It’s very important for everybody to understand that it’s a privilege. We don’t want to take it away but it’s very, very hard to police, so if people can’t look after themselves, so to speak, we have to take that privilege away.”
Council has fielded numerous complaints of ATVers traversing across parks, schoolyards and other prohibited areas.
There have also been reports of underage drivers and ATVs that are missing license plates.
A bylaw allows ATVers to travel in Flin Flon provided they obey designated routes and use the shortest path to take them outside of city limits and back.
Maps of designated ATV routes are available at city hall.
