DEVILS LAKE – As the weather has turned warmer, there has been increased use of vehicles such as ATVs, utility terrain vehicles, golf carts and other motorized vehicles on public roads. On Tuesday, May 26, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office issued a public notice which was posted on their Facebook page regarding complaints and accidents that involved drivers of such vehicles.
What’s most concerning is that some of the incidents may involve underage minors. Several residents reported seeing a grade-school-aged child with a toddler passenger allegedly operating a motorized scooter in town without regard to road safety.
“Our main focus is going to be education first before enforcement,” said Sheriff Bryan Lang on May 29. “The biggest thing is we want to educate so we don’t have that tragedy or something bad happen.”
Several rules were addressed in the notice regarding the operation of these vehicles:
1 No person under 16 years of age is permitted to operate any motorized vehicle anywhere except on their own private property at any time. The one exception is if they have successfully passed an ND Parks and Recreation safety course for UTV’s.
2 Any person operating a motorized vehicle must have a valid driver’s license or permit.
3 A person allowing an unauthorized minor to drive a motorized vehicle can be charged with a traffic violation for letting the minor drive.
4 Any person under 18 years of age driving or riding a motorized vehicle must wear a helmet.
Lang stated in the notice that another item to consider is that any parent who allows a minor child to operate a vehicle could also be held civilly liable for all damages that may occur, including medical bills for any injuries as well as damage to any property.
According to the notice, officers from the Sheriff’s Office will be patrolling areas regularly, and they will also be educating and citing parents and kids who are operating vehicles on the road illegally or recklessly.
Also attached with the public notice in the Facebook post were the rules for e-bike use. Defined as “motorized bicycles,” e-bikes are not subject to all the same rules of the road that apply to bicycles, aren’t allowed on sidewalks, and are subject to some motor vehicle laws, including requirements for licensing, registration, and insurance. The minimum user age for e-bikes is 14 years of age.
“We all were kids at one time, and we understand that,” Lang said. “But we just want everybody to be safe, especially now you’re getting into the busy time of the summer.”
For more info on registering for Youth Off-Highway Vehicle Safety Course, visit the North Dakota Parks & Recreation website at https://tinyurl.com/4ex8a7tp.
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