Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
With the summer recreation season just around the corner, RCMP NL is urging all off-road vehicle operators keep safety and preparation front of mind.
Before you depart, consider packing extra clothing, food, a communication device and fire making supplies. Share your intended travel plans, including expected departure and return times with others. These small steps can help you stay safe on the trails if you run into mechanical issues, get lost or face unexpected weather conditions.
Operators of off-road vehicles, including dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), are also required to comply with the Off-Road Vehicles Act and Highway Traffic Act. Failure to do so can result in the seizure of the vehicle and/or violation tickets, with a range of fines.
All operators of off-road vehicles must successfully complete or have an exemption in place for Off-Road Vehicles Safety Training, which is offered free of charge and available through MyGovNL.
You and your passengers must wear helmets and seat belts (where available). Children who are required to use a child seat restraint system, such as a booster seat, under the Highway Traffic Act are required to follow that same legislation as a passenger of an off-road vehicle.
It is illegal to operate an off-road vehicle on a roadway, except to cross from one side to the other, and you must have registration, insurance, a driver’s licence and not less than one hundred and fifty metres of visibility to do so. To access a trail, you may travel on the shoulder of a roadway for a maximum distance of 1 kilometre and at a maximum speed of 20 kilometres an hour, all while yielding to motor vehicle traffic.
Children under the age of 16 must be properly supervised by someone who:
- is 18 years of age or older,
- has a valid driver’s licence,
- has successfully completed the off-road vehicle safety training.
Proper supervision further requires that the supervisor is able to see and be seen by the operator at all times and is in a position to provide immediate direction to the operator. Underage operators without supervision and those who permit underage operation without supervision can be ticketed. The fine imposed on those who permit unsupervised operation ranges from $650.00 – $1,300.00. Ultimately, parents and guardians need to be aware of the dangers associated with unsupervised operation, which include serious injuries and death to the youth and/or others.
Operating an off-road vehicle while impaired is a criminal offence. Impaired operation of any motor vehicle is a choice that unnecessarily places you, your passengers and all others who share the roadway at an increased level of risk of serious injury or death.
Make sure you know the rules of off-road vehicle operation. You can find more information about the Off-Road Vehicles Act and Highway Traffic Act here:
https://www.assembly.nl.ca/Legislation/sr/statutes/o05-1.htm