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Posted by: garyc660R
Here is that write up....
All-terrain vehicles should be banned from paved highways, say state troopers who are asking lawmakers to modify West Virginia's two-year-old ATV safety law.
"When our guys get together, that's the first thing they say: 'We've got to get them off the roads,'" State Police Capt. J.C. Chambers told a legislative interim committee studying ATV safety.
Lawmakers agreed to review the 2004 law after 40 people died in ATV-related accidents last year. So far this year, 52 people have died.
When passing the law, legislators included a provision that allowed ATVs limited access to paved roads without painted center lines. Only 13,000 of the state's 34,000 miles of roads have center lines. ATV tires are not designed for pavement, and few of the vehicles are designed to carry passengers.
"Now, they're just riding everywhere," Chambers said. "The old saying is, you give them an inch and they'll take a mile."
Chambers told the committee it may be impossible to determine how many ATV accidents can be attributed to highway use because the state does not have a uniform reporting form.
Committee co-chairman Delegate Dale Martin, D-Putnam, said he is concerned that a highway ban could hurt business for the Hatfield-McCoy Trails in southern West Virginia.
The State Police ATV committee is asking lawmakers to make the following changes to the law:
_Mandatory helmets for all ATV riders. Only riders under 18 are now required to wear helmets.
_Increase penalties for fleeing law enforcement to include mandatory jail time and impoundment of the ATV.
_Require all ATVs to be titled and registered, and require that all ATVs display registration stickers.
_Increase penalties for second- and third-offense ATV law violations, including jail time and vehicle impoundment for third-offense convictions.
Posted by: garyc660R
I agree that atv's should not be operated on paved roads and anyone operating one anywhere, at any age, should have to wear a helmet. What I don't understand is how the committee studying atv related deaths can make up any new laws without proper documentation on exactly how these people are being killed while riding an atv. On paved highway? Drunk? Inexperienced? Reckless? Who is paying for this committee to make blind judgements in one of the poorest states in the nation?
Posted by: garyc660R
Quote
Originally posted by: squeege
Not sure, but alot of people need to run up or down or across the road to access property that they pay taxes for....I am sure not gonna drive my car down the road to our field....cause my atv is made for that....my 2 cents another thing... I will not register my quad if they wanna push a dumb law like that.....and yeah I'll prolly buy a faster quad hr>
The register thing raises eyebrows for the WV representatives.....they know this equals more money to bleed out of the people and squander away. How about stopping the money gouging and drop one of the highest fuel taxes in the nation and also the food tax? To expensive for businesses to operate in WV as well....and the governors slogan is "open for business"....I kid you not.
I could see some kid crossing the road and mister neighborhood $8 per hour officer (needing to show his so called authority) actually locking the kid up and impounding his quad. Of course when anything gets impounded the employees with the wrecker service must vandalize and steal whatever they want.
Posted by: garyc660R
One that reads the article thats not a resident would probably picture the highways full of atvers and dead bodies laying beside the roads. As a resident that has traveled easily over 2/3's of this state, I can asure you that is not the case.....especially here in the heart of Hatfield / Mcoy country. If WV troopers and our legislators want enact more laws they need to get a grip on exactly why these people are dying on atv's....not just a knee-jerk reaction.....as I posted earlier.
Posted by: MOUNTAINEERRIDER
rode a lot of miles in WV last year...99 percent of the atv'er we encounter are very safe and courteous riders...It seems like holiday weekends brings out the idots...We have been stopped on the trails ,roads etc with our familys and a group of young riders will go flying right through our riders standing by the atv's..(at very high rate of speed)..Luckly we normally can ride all day and never encounter more the three,four other riders.
Posted by: Dragginbutt
The real culprit here is the idiots that ride like crazed madmen down the roads slinging mud everywhere, and with no regard to safety of personal property. Put a few beers in them and they go nuts. The injury stats are a smoke screen to get public opinion to speak out. The problem really is enforcment. It is certainly hard to catch an offender if they duck onto the trails and all you have to chase them with is a road vehicle.
The sport as a whole needs to do a better job of self policing, and education. These idiots need to be shown the exit before they ruin things for all of us.
The people surrounding the Hatfield McCoy NEED this industry to live. Complaints and idiots making fools of themselves are not going to help. Time for those of us that really love the sport to bite the bullet and point these people out. Get rid of them.. we don't need them, or want them. If you want to follow rules and act responsibly, I welcome you, but if you want to act like an idiot, then I stand opposed and support law enforcement in their challenge to take you off the trails and roadways.
Posted by: Dragginbutt
Oh yeah Hunter, that would go over really well. I can't even imagine the complaints we would get spending tax dollars to create quad lanes. Heck, I'd be glad to get funds to build trails in the woods, I can't even comprehend why a person would want to ride on the road other than to go into town for a bite to eat and some fuel. I agree with most here, that most riders are courteous enough to use caution. But it is that idiot element with their go fast until I die attitude that hurts us all.
I am not picking on the younger generation, but it sure would be nice to find a young person out on the trails that is grown up enough to recognise that if they want to continue to have a sport, the change has to start with them. Those of us graybeards on this list, have all been there, done that too, and we are trying our darndest to make up for our transgressions. It's a vicious circle that keeps repeating itself every generation or two. I sure wish I could save you a lot of grief. Some lessons have to be learned the hard way I guess.
I shouldn't say that ... I find a lot of young persons who do care, and are trying to do their part out there. I guess us old farts need to stop finger pointing and criticizing and give them a pat on teh back and pitch in to help when we see it. You got my support der sport...
Posted by: Dragginbutt
hey no offense intended or taken... You are right, for every idiot there are many good people out here. You only hear teh bad stuff in the media. You never hear teh good stuff because good riders are usually invisible. AND it doesn't sell papers.
I have to admit I used to go faster than I do today. And I have the broken bones, scraped body parts, and the years spent with my jaw wired to prove it. We know where you are coming from. ALthough I have to admit, these things have gotten way out of hand. Let me tell you something though, I bet you would have just as much fun on a 200 class machine as you have on a 600. I remember the days of the ATC90 3 wheeler that started it all. A death trap slug that you could almost walk as fast as it went... but man did we have fun on them...
I like kids.. really I do. I have 3 of them... but 2 are grown, and the youngest.. well he is a very important part of my world right now... Like I said... errr I like kids...
Posted by: Deeplaker60
Troopers feel they have to get these things off the road...because so many people are getting killed on ATV's...but they don't know how many of those deaths are attributable to riding ATV's on paved roads. It kind of looks like the news article is leaving something out. Or, maybe the troopers are feeling pressure from the chronically offended, who are not known to be particularly rational. I'm old enough to remember when they wanted to get motorcycles off the roads. I'm not old enough to remember when they wanted to get automobiles off the roads, but I've seen those old movie scenes where the first cars were irritating the chronically offended by scaring the horses.
Posted by: Deeplaker60
Garyc--"I could see some kid crossing the road and mister neighborhood $8 per hour officer (needing to show his so called authority) actually locking the kid up and impounding his quad. "
I wasn't going to say this, and I probably shouldn't, but those WV troopers may be getting just as frustrated chasing kids on quads as Boss Hogg and Sheriff Rosco Coltrain did chasing Bo and Luke on Dukes of Hazard. Just picture that!
Posted by: squeege
Not sure, but alot of people need to run up or down or across the road to access property that they pay taxes for....I am sure not gonna drive my car down the road to our field....cause my atv is made for that....my 2 cents
another thing... I will not register my quad if they wanna push a dumb law like that.....and yeah I'll prolly buy a faster quad
Posted by: WAATV
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20061114/ap_tr_ge/travel_brief_wv_atv_safety&printer=1
Posted by: TrailxRider
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Originally posted by: Dragginbutt If you want to follow rules and act responsibly, I welcome you, but if you want to act like an idiot, then I stand opposed and support law enforcement in their challenge to take you off the trails and roadways.
Three words. Best. Quote. Ever.
Posted by: TrailxRider
Quote
Originally posted by: Dragginbutt
Oh yeah Hunter, that would go over really well. I can't even imagine the complaints we would get spending tax dollars to create quad lanes. Heck, I'd be glad to get funds to build trails in the woods, I can't even comprehend why a person would want to ride on the road other than to go into town for a bite to eat and some fuel. I agree with most here, that most riders are courteous enough to use caution. But it is that idiot element with their go fast until I die attitude that hurts us all.
I am not picking on the younger generation, but it sure would be nice to find a young person out on the trails that is grown up enough to recognise that if they want to continue to have a sport, the change has to start with them. Those of us graybeards on this list, have all been there, done that too, and we are trying our darndest to make up for our transgressions. It's a vicious circle that keeps repeating itself every generation or two. I sure wish I could save you a lot of grief. Some lessons have to be learned the hard way I guess.
I shouldn't say that ... I find a lot of young persons who do care, and are trying to do their part out there. I guess us old farts need to stop finger pointing and criticizing and give them a pat on teh back and pitch in to help when we see it. You got my support der sport...
Thats basically it..I'm 15, I do stupid stuff ( I just said I was 15 ). But I always wear a helmet, and I never attempt something I can't do ( though that is growing smaller and smaller every time I ride ). I'm sure I go faster than most people would recommend, but I realize when I CAN go that fast, and when I CAN'T go that fast.
I realize that not everyone my age is the same way, just like everyone older is not the same way. All age groups got the smart ones ( the majority ) and the idiots. Though I don't think age has a whole lot to do with it. I'm 15, but I've got a better grip on life than a lot of people twice my age.
Ready to get flamed...
Posted by: Hunter009
They only see the isiots and not the tons of good riders
Posted by: Hunter009
Hers an idea make us our own lanes or roads img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0">
Posted by: Hunter009
Dragginbutt I was only kidding that is what the wink was for. I fell the same way. I believe that ATVs and roads dont mix.
