RCMP say the ticketing of an ATV driver this week for not wearing a helmet should be a safety reminder for all as the warmer weather sets in.

Police stopped a 60-year-old man Tuesday afternoon as he rode along the shoulder of the TCH near the turnoff to Baie Verte.

In addition to the ticket for not wearing a helmet, he received another for having a suspended driver’s licence.

With the expected increased use of off-road vehicles as weather gets nicer and days get longer, police are reminding all operators to be safe, stay sober and abide by the province’s Highway Traffic and Off-Road Vehicles Act.

That includes mandatory use of helmets, and seat belts where available.

It is illegal to operate an ATV on a roadway, except to cross from one side to the other, and the operator must have registration, insurance, a driver’s licence and not less than 150 metres of visibility to do so. To access a trail, an ATV can be driven on the shoulder of a roadway for a maximum distance of one kilometre and max speed of 20 kilometres an hour, always yielding the right-of-way to road traffic.