CT AMC Conservation Committee
From courant.com
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A Meaningful Law For ATVs
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April 2, 2007
The General Assembly is considering a patchwork of legislative proposals aimed
at reining in the problem of all-terrain vehicles, the dirt bikes and three- and
four-wheel vehicles that for years have been zipping through loopholes in state
laws to tear up woodland wildlife habitats, ravage hiking trails and run
roughshod over public- and private-property rights.
Several bills are calling for mandatory registration of all vehicles in the
state. That's an important starting point.
Still, none contains all the ingredients necessary for a solution equal to the
scale of the problem.
And what a problem. Illegal encroachments by all-terrain vehicles have become so
rampant that, a little over a year ago, the Council on Environmental Quality
cited them as one of the greatest single threats facing Connecticut's preserved
lands.
In a way, this assault on preserved lands has been aided and abetted by
Connecticut's existing laws, which are so ineffectual that they essentially wink
at the problem. That weakness has fostered a culture of disregard and disrespect
among irresponsible all-terrain vehicle operators, young and old.
It's time for fair, strong and effective laws.
For starters, the state should require the registration of every all-terrain
vehicle in Connecticut. It should also impose appropriate fines for violations
of the law.
Money collected from fines and registration fees should be dedicated to a fund
to help state and local authorities enforce the laws. It should also be used for
the purchase or maintenance of land designated for all-terrain vehicle use.
Operators should be required to have license plates on their vehicles to help
authorities identify those who break the law. Legislators might also consider
requiring all-terrain vehicle operators - minors especially - to take
state-approved safety courses as part of their registration requirement.
Minors should be required to wear safety equipment. If helmets are good enough
for a child on a bicycle, why not for one driving a hulking 400-pound machine at
high speeds across rough terrain?
Connecticut has already tried the timid approach to regulating all-terrain
vehicles. The result has been an unmitigated disaster for the environment, for
property rights - even for the safety of all-terrain vehicle operators and their
passengers.
It's time for leadership in the form of effective, meaningful laws.
Copyright 2007, Hartford Courant
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