Avalon T’Railway Association has teamed up with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary to spread the word about how to safely operate ATVs.
RNC Constable James Cadigan says with the warmer weather more people are getting out on their quads, and as such police are receiving more calls about dangerous and aggressive behaviours.
Cadigan says there have not been any fatal ATV accidents in their jurisdiction so far this year, which is why it is important for them to get out and talk about the risks.
Avalon T’Railway offers ATV safety courses for the public.
President Rick Noseworthy says they want to specifically target young people.
“They think they’re bullet proof,” says Noseworthy. He notes that they are seeing things such as excessive speeds in non-approved areas. For example, people can ride an ATV for 1 km on the side of a road to get to another section of trail provided that the person has the proper license/registration, ” that doesn’t mean you can go right through Torbay, the whole length of Torbay or CBS.”
Noseworthy puts much of the onus on parents.
Hey says they’re the ones who are responsible financially and legally. Moreover, they have a responsibility for the child’s mental health, because if they get hurt, or hurt someone else, they’ll have to carry that for the rest of their life.